


To Know A Father

by Raggetymanftw



Category: Assassin's Creed, Batman - DC Comics, Fusion fic - Fandom, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien is a good boyfriend, Bruce Wayne is Marinette's biological father, Bruce Wayne is the father, F/M, Gabriel Agreste's A+ Parenting, Lila Rossi salt, Lila's Lies are Revealled, MDC fashion label - I'm here for it, MariBat, Marinette has good brothers, Marinette is an Assassin, Marinette is secretly a badass outside of Ladybug, Marinette's BatFam code name is Ladybird, Sabine Cheng's A+ parenting, She a fake bitch, She's a bird like her brothers, Someone gets murdered in chapter 18, a nameless cafe worker in Gotham, bio!dad bruce wayne, but she's a goddaMN LADY, drag her, fusion fic, identities are found out much faster than they should be, kind of cracky, none of the main characters or even the background characters, so trigger warning, stay safe my loves, the author lacks subtlety
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:00:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 37,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28707789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raggetymanftw/pseuds/Raggetymanftw
Summary: Because of my fucking ADD, my attention span on fics I write are fucking short, so I've jumped from writing Twilight/Assassin's Creed to Miraculous Ladybug/Batman/Assassin's Creed. My obsessiveness over fandoms are short, but very intense before I jump on the next train. You didn't ask for it, but here it is.Sort of an Assassin's Creed, Miraculous Ladybug and DC Batman fusion. Out of the BatFam, Marinette is the second youngest, all of the other kids are older than her, except DemonSpawn™ and Cassandra Cain. Damien is only about a year younger though. I don’t know a lot about Cassandra Cain, but I’ll be going off her comic book depiction, rather than how she was introduced in Birds of Prey. Apparently there’s another son called Duke? But I don’t really know anything about him, so he won’t be in this story. Also, Sabine doesn’t know about Tim, Damien and Cassandra. She only knew about Dick and Jason
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 97
Kudos: 260





	1. So...Marinette is surprisingly well adjusted compared to the rest of the story

Chapter One

Lila was a liar. That much had been obvious from the get-go. Marinette knew, as her civilian self, confronting her head-on would be unwise. Marinette had confronted the girl as her superhero persona, but that had resulted in Lila’s Akumatisation. Marinette wouldn’t make that mistake again, especially not in her civilian life. 

Lila spun fantastical lies, but due to the lives of her fellow classmates, that were actually very believable. And when caught out, she spun yet _another_ lie. Whether that was about having disabilities, which was extremely ableist of her, or blaming her short-term memory loss. And of course, the students lapped it up as fact. But who could blame them? Rose _was_ friends with Prince Ali of Achu. Marinette _was_ close friends with Jagged Stone and Penny Rolling. Adrien Agreste was a famous model and Chloé was the daughter of the mayor. In that context, Lila’s lies were plausible. So, Marinette kept her peace, said nothing and never called Lila out on anything. She simply watched and waited, slowly collecting evidence against her, saving it for a rainy day. 

Lila had proven...dangerous. And if nothing else, Marinette had learned from her mother’s training that dangerous people needed to be watched carefully. 

You see, Sabine Cheng was a retired Mentor of the Assassin Brotherhood; not to be confused with the League of Assassins, led by Ra’s al Ghul. No, the Brotherhood was founded under other beliefs, to work from the shadows to serve the light. The League, well, they held no such notions of working to _help_ people.

Despite not wanting to raise Marinette within the Brotherhood, Sabine took the expression “your blood is not your own” to heart. She trained Marinette to be the best assassin she could, but only to arm the girl with what she’d need to survive, if Marinette was discovered for who and what she was. Marinette was special, and not just in the way all mother’s said their children were special. Marinette had the Sight. She could see what others could not, imprints of the past. Her attention to detail was _extraordinary_. It was part of what made her such an excellent designer and a skilled assassin at age fifteen. Not to mention, enhanced her abilities as Ladybug.

People that knew Marinette would laugh at the idea that such a sweet, innocent and generous young girl could ever be a deadly assassin, especially with how clumsy she could be. However, Marinette wasn’t clumsy, not for the reasons people thought. 

Marinette had a tendency to be _too_ vigilant of her surroundings, to the point of overreacting. This is what caused her “clumsiness”. But Sabine knew she would grow out of it, that it would fade as her confidence grew, it just stemmed from inexperience. Marinette was already becoming so mature, first with her acceptance of Tom and secondly, taking the mantle of Ladybug, though they didn’t talk about _that_ side of Marinette’s life often. She would be coming into her own soon enough.

When Marinette had been four years old, Sabine married Tom Dupain. Sabine had met him five years after she left a short-term fling in Gotham, a fling that had resulted in Marinette. After dating for two years, the two married and Marinette called him ‘Papa’ and considered him her dad, and he wholeheartedly considered her his child. Marinette had never asked Sabine about her biological father, wasn’t particularly interested, until the discussion had been brought up in class. 

Nino and Kim had known Marinette since they were all very small, they knew that Tom wasn’t her biological father and somehow, Lila had found out. 

Marinette had simply smiled sweetly at whatever Lila had been trying to imply, and said that “Papa is the best dad I could ever wish for. Maman and he are so in love, what do I care of the man who fathered me?”

However, the thought had stuck with her. She had never really cared to know who he was, but the pitying looks she was getting from Alya were starting to bug her, despite everything else going on. Even Adrien was looking at her oddly. Marinette wondered what he thought of Lila and this new information he was receiving about Marinette, as they hadn’t really talked about it after Lila tried to say she was Ladybug’s best friend, nor did he know much about her private life. 

When Marinette got home that afternoon, she steadied herself to ask her mother the question she never thought she’d ask. “Maman? Who is my biological father?”

Sabine raised her eyebrows. “What brought this up, my love?”

“The new girl in class, Lila, was trying to imply something scandalous, about Papa not being my biological father. And I know I haven’t really cared before now, but it’s just sort of stuck in my brain.” Marinette explained with a sigh. 

“I see,” Sabine replied. She gestured for Marinette to sit on the couch with her. “I suppose you’re old enough to know the whole story. You see, I was assigned to the bureau in Gotham city, in the US. I had a fling with a businessman during my last mission. That fling resulted in you. When I discovered I was pregnant, well. He already had his own family, two boys, both adopted. I retired from the Brotherhood and settled back in France, with my family. Your birth father, well, he doesn’t know about you.”

Marinette took a deep breath, knowing that things would change as soon as she uttered the words. “So who is he?” Her mind was already whirring, of potential business men where were appropriate age and had two adopted sons. Only one came immediately to mind.

“Bruce Wayne.”

BONUS:

Against more modern traditions, Sabine was branded on her right ring finger with the symbol of the Brotherhood. Though, it could have been worse, she had thought. Could have lost the finger entirely, like those who used an unmodified blade before her. 

Sabine had since deemed Marinette’s bulk training complete. She was a very talented child, she surpassed every test that Sabine put before her. Whatever challenge Sabine created, Marinette met every single one head on and rose beyond the occasion. 

And so, on the eve of Marinette’s fifteenth birthday, Sabine made her climb Notre Dame and perform her first leap of faith as a fully fledged assassin. She had even branded her daughter with the mark, as her mother did before her, and her mother before that. 

Marinette may not have taken a life, as the means of ‘graduation’, but taking the mantle of Ladybug at age thirteen had given Marinette the life experience that Sabine believed was enough to move beyond simple Initiate level. If Marinette was to ever follow Sabine’s footsteps and become a fully fledged member of the Brotherhood, they would recognise Marinette by the mark branded on her finger. Only those within the order would be able to recognise the mark. Sabine bought Marinette a thick cuff ring to cover the mark from eyes that might be a little too curious about her scar. 

Marinette wore a bandage for a while, and claimed she’d clumsily burned it while baking. No one ever questioned it and no one ever saw her mark. 


	2. Adrien Is Smarter Than Astuc Gives Him Credit For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Redemption Arch for Chloé FOREVER! I believe in her, deeply and she was done Dirty™ , guys.

Chapter 2

Running felt freeing for Marinette. Especially when she could do it as herself. She pulled her pink hood over her head, obscuring her face as much as possible. She clambered out onto her balcony and started running along the rooftops of Paris. It was like flying as she parkoured across the city, her silhouette a small speck against the starry sky, unnoticed by the city below her feet.

“It’s not often I see someone running the rooftops out of a costume.” Came a familiar, sassy voice. Quickly taking in her location, she realised she had made her way into Chat’s usual patrolling ground.

Marinette mentally cursed. Of course he would be out tonight, that damn cat. 

“Chat Noir,” Marinette said, turning towards the masked hero. “Hello.” She didn’t know how she was going to explain this to him. Chat knew her as clumsy, as most of her world did, parkour was a little out of character for her. For  _ Marinette _ , anyway. Maybe not for  _ Ladybug  _ though.

“You have me at a disadvantage. You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”

“You must feel at a disadvantage a lot, I don’t think there is a Parisian that doesn’t know your name, Kitty.” Marinette replied, knowing he would only be able to see her smirking mouth, the rest of her face shadowed by her hoodie. 

His eyes widened, as he took in her words and her oh-so-familiar smirk. “My Lady?” 

Marinette pulled her hoodie down further down her face. “Tikki, Spots On!” It worried her that he was able to recognise her just from that. Though, a girl parkouring across rooftops, it wasn’t hard to assume that she would be his Lady. He did look away as the light consumed her body.

“Why were you out here, un-transformed? Are you okay?” Chat asked, concern colouring his tone, as he looked back at her, taking in her masked face. 

Ladybug sighed. “Some things have come up in my civilian life. I just...I had to get out and run. As myself. Away from being Ladybug. I can’t just run as Ladybug. Too many people watching me. But as my civilian self? No one notices someone like me.”

Chat snorted. “I doubt that, that no one notices your civilian self. You’re you. I’m sure you’re just as amazing as a civilian as you are as Ladybug.” 

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “You would say that to me anyway. I know how you feel about Ladybug.” 

Chat frowned. “How I feel about  _ Ladybug _ ? You  _ are _ Ladybug. Why do you always act like Ladybug is someone else?” 

“Because civilian me and Ladybug are  _ extremely _ different. Trust me, you wouldn’t be in love with my civilian side.” 

“My Lady, I would love you on both sides of the mask, if you would let me. I know I’m not the same as Chat Noir in my civilian life. Far from it. But that doesn’t mean we’re not the same person. We’re not one dimensional characters in a TV show, Ladybug. We have layers, different facets that make us who we are. Ladybug is just another side of who you are.” Chat said imploringly, begging her to understand.

Ladybug felt her face burn bright red. She knew her self-esteem wasn’t amazing, considering everything she had accomplished in her life. Ladybug felt like she was three different people, more often than not. The assassin, the hero and the ordinary teenage girl. She was struggling to consolidate the three into one package, into one solid identity. 

Chat made it sound so simple, like it was just something that she needed to come to terms with. She felt hot tears starting to roll over her mask and onto her cheeks. She cursed herself internally for being so weak, to cry in front of her partner, who expected her to be so strong. 

Chat himself, was shocked to see tears rolling down his Lady’s face, the barely suppressed sobbed wracking through her petite frame. He immediately rushed to her and pulled her into his arms. “Please, m’lady. Talk to me.”

“P-p-people just e-e-expect s-so m-much from m-me. As m-my civilian self and as L-Ladybug. I f-feel like I’m living t-three different lives and it’s t-tearing me at my seams.” Ladybug struggled to say, as she attempted to get her breathing under control. “E-even my civilian self isn’t living true to myself. E-everyone either thinks I’m this clumsy but kind, willing, doormat that will do anything for a-anyone, or they think I’m a jealous snake, b-bullying the new girl because she’s getting close to the guy I like. They just ignore the fact that she’s a lying bitch and don’t fact-check anything she says. I’ve never even s-said anything against her anyway. She just knows I like Ad- um, the guy, and she thinks I’m a threat, so she’s spreading nasty rumours about me. 

L-Ladybug is supposed to be this confident woman who can stand up to people like that, but I can't even say t-two words to the guy I like without stumbling over my words or saying them in the wrong order. But he's s-so patient with me, and waits for me to finish my spaz out and then continues as if it never happened. It makes me lo- uh, like him so much more. 

And then on top of t-trying to be a normal girl  _ and  _ Ladybug, there’s e-everything my mother wants me to be! 

She’s a bo staff master, and she wants me to be as good as her, if not better. She was part of this… society, and while she left and raised me outside of them, she still t-trains me as if she wants me to be a part of it t-too. And then tonight, I find out that my birth father is some rich big-wig in America. What am I supposed to do with all of this?”

Everything she had been feeling these past few months just blurted out of her as Chat held her tightly. Though, she was beginning to feel better, getting it all off her chest, as Chat rocked her softly, and shushed her sobs. “It’s alright, my Lady, I’m here for you. Get it all out.” 

Finally, the last of Ladybug’s sobs eased completely and she took a deep breath and pulled away from Chat’s embrace. “Thank you Kitty. I really needed to get that off my chest. I probably told you too much, but I don’t regret it.”

Chat shrugged. “To be fair, a lot of teens struggle with their peers. I know, a good friend of mine going through something similar. Though, the bo staff training? No wonder you were so good with my staff when you were Lady Noir.” 

Ladybug gave a watery chuckle. “Yeah, but I’m not just trained with the bo staff. That is my mother’s speciality. I probably shouldn’t have told you about that though. How many bo staff masters are there in Paris?”

“Ah, probably not as many as there are fencers. Remember Riposte?” 

Ladybug smiled. “Kagami, right? She was...driven. And she was Ryuko, the Dragon. Too bad all the identities, aside from you and me, were revealed with Miracle Queen. She would have been an amazing permanent hero. She and Viperion.” 

“Not Alya or Nino? Or any of the others?” 

Ladybug sighed. “I don’t know if they can. Luka and Kagami don’t know each other, while the others are all in the same class. I think it would be unwise to give them Miraculous again, when they know each other. I know Chloé regrets becoming Miracle Queen, that she was just afraid for her parents, and angry. She’s spoken to me privately and I have forgiven her. She might be a good candidate for another Miraculous. Maybe the Fox or the Turtle.”

Chat smiled. “It’s nice that you’re going to give Chloé another chance.” 

“I think she deserves it. She’s come very far...or so I’ve heard.” 

“Yeah, that reminds me. How did you know to pick all those people to be holders of Miraculous, if you don’t know them personally?"

“I have a friend in the ‘Akuma class’,” Ladybug began. “I chose her friends, because she’s very trustworthy. I can’t choose my friends, because it could lead back to me.”

Chat beamed, though Ladybug wasn’t sure why. To Chat, it was just one more link back to who Ladybug might really be. He quickly ran through his classmates to see who would most likely be her friend. The only person it could be was Marinette. During the Illustrator, Marinette managed to get a hold of Ladybug for her help. But then a thought occurred. “Does...does Marinette know you’re Ladybug?” 

Ladybug sighed. “I didn’t think you’d figure out it was Marinette so fast. And no, I haven’t told anyone that I’m Ladybug. I think my mother might suspect, but we've never talked about it directly. As I said the last time we talked identities, kitty, you’ll be the first to know. But now that you know I am friends with Marinette, please don't use that to find more clues to my identity. You'll find out what it is, someday.” 

Chat sighed. "I get why you don't want us to know. But don't you think us knowing who the other is, would give us better support? There'd be less miscommunication issues and even if Hawkmoth tried to get in between us, it wouldn't matter, because we would just be able to talk to each other."

Ladybug froze. "Oh Chat, you have no idea how much I want that. I want you to know who I am, but… Look, there's something I have to tell you."

Ladybug then told him everything that she could about Chat Blanc and the future she'd witnessed. "You said my name. You… You said that our love did this to the world, destroyed Paris and shattered the moon."

Chat shook his head. "Firstly, that was me Akumatised. You couldn't have trusted anything he said. And secondly, there could have been other variables that you couldn't possibly have known about. Both you  _ and  _ Hawkmoth were there. Other things could have happened to alter that future. Maybe I had somehow figured out your identity, but you didn't know mine. Anything could have happened. You can't just doom a whole relationship before it starts, just because of an aborted future that is most likely not going to happen. Besides, you could have easily been Akumatised tonight. What would you have done then? If I knew who you were, I could help you and support you better. I'm not just saying all of this because I want to know who you are or because I'm in love with you. But because I genuinely think it would help us, not hinder us."

Ladybug considered his words. "I-I never thought about it that way before. I guess I've always been afraid of what would happen if you knew who I really was. That my family could be hurt or… or that you'd be disappointed in me. You put me on such a pedestal, so high above everyone, above you. What will happen when you see me and realise that I’m not all that, I'm just… ordinary?"

Chat's face softened. "You're really worried about that, aren't you? You really think that you won't measure up?" 

Ladybug scoffed. "I  _ know _ I won't measure up. I'm not as confident as Ladybug. And I'm definitely not as experienced as I make Ladybug seem. I don't know what I'm doing half the time. If not for my prior training or my other… abilities, I don't know how I could be coping with everything as I am now."

"It's because you're amazing, my Lady. You always have been, in and out of the mask. Sure, you may have broken down a bit tonight, but nobody is perfect. Not even Ladybug. That doesn't make me love you any less. If anything, it makes me love you even more." Chat said earnestly. “I made a vow to myself, that I  _ would _ love you forever, no matter who you were under the mask.”

Ladybug smiled softly. "Thank you kitty. And I'm sorry that I can't reciprocate your feelings. It's just…"

"The guy you like, I understand. Can I at least know the name of the guy who's captured your heart?" Chat asked, turning his big green eyes toward her. 

Ladybug sighed. "Okay, I suppose I owe you that much at least. But don't tell anyone! Especially since I know you know him. It's… Adrien Agreste."

Chat had to dig his claws into his thighs to keep himself from screaming. Out of what emotion, he didn't know. "I see," He said, keeping his voice neutral. "The model."

Ladybug scoffed. "I don't like him because he's a model. He's just… He's so kind. And he's very patient with me, like I said. There's so much more to him than just a model for  _ Gabriel _ . He stood by me when this girl was being awful to me and believed me when I said she was lying. And I can tell, sometimes, when he's wearing his model mask. When he's hiding what he's really feeling and thinking. He's so sad sometimes, I just want to reach out and hold him and let him know it's going to be okay. He deserves good friends, not just people who cling to him because of his name. I fell in love with him when he gave me his umbrella. He didn't have to, I had been so rude, but all he did was be kind. I still have the umbrella, you know?" Ladybug turned to Chat and she saw his eyes were watering, filled with unshed tears. "Chat, are  _ you _ okay?" 

" _ Marinette _ ?" he whispered. " _ You're _ Ladybug. Our Everyday Ladybug is  _ actually Ladybug _ . My dear princess is also my lady?" He laughed, a joyous and elated sound, almost breaking Ladybug out of her shock. "How is it possible that I fell in love with you twice?" 


	3. Marinette Is My Disaster Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A reveal! First Marinette, now Chat. I bet you weren't expecting this in the first three chapters, eh?

Chapter 3

"H-how did you figure it out? How did you know?!" Ladybug whisper screeched. Night had well and truly fallen by this point, and despite Paris being known as the city of light, she could only just make out Chat's facial expressions. 

"Plagg, Claws In!" Chat called softly. Ladybug had to close her eyes against the bright green light. Ladybug considered keeping her eyes closed, but he already knew who she was, so she might as well change the future and see who he was too. When she opened them, her mind was blown… 

"Adrien!" Ladybug gasped; her eyes wide. She tried to keep her voice low. "Oh my stars, I just confessed my love for you to you. Oh my stars! Tikki, Spots Off!" 

The Kwamis flew to each other and then out of sight, to give the two teens the illusion of privacy.

Adrien grinned and pulled her into a tight hug once the detransformation was complete. "I could never be disappointed in you, Marinette. I was already in love with you. How could this black cat be so lucky? That the two girls I was agonising over were one in the same!"

Marinette just squeaked into Adrien's chest as he said he loved her, again. "I can't believe I rejected you for you. I've been trying not to catch feels for you-I mean Chat, because I was already in love with Adrien. But here you are, the same person. My stars, what a fucked up love square. How did we get here?"

Adrien chuckled heartily. “It doesn’t matter, we got here and that’s all that matters.”

“Oh, I’m so embarrassed!” Marinette wailed. “I treated you the same way you treated Ladybug. Worse! I couldn’t even complete a full sentence when talking to you. I put Adrien on this perfect pedestal as well, when you’re really just a dorky, punny, anime nerd!” 

Adrien chuckled softly. “You love me,” he said teasingly. 

Marinette leaned back and gazed into Adrien’s eyes. “I do, I do love you, all of you. Chat and Adrien.” 

Adrien smiled tenderly at her. “And I love all of you too.” Suddenly, Marinette was filled with guilt, and it must have shown on her face, as Adrien looked at her with concern. “What’s wrong?”

Marinette sighed. “I haven’t told you everything. After the reveal, you’ve probably forgotten that I was free running as my civilian self. And you know me, Marinette, clutz extraordinaire. That doesn’t strike you as odd?”

Adrien’s head tilted in confusion. “I-I hadn’t thought about it.”

“You see, I wasn’t lying, my mother is a bo staff master. But she was also a master of the Order she was a part of. And she trained me as she was trained. I’m not clumsy, I’m just hyper-vigilant. I overreact and it makes me appear clumsy. I suppose it’s a good thing, I mean, who would suspect uncoordinated, sweet Marinette of being an assassin?”

Adrien gasped in shock. “A-assassin?! You’re an assassin? You must be pulling my leg, Bugaboo.” 

Marinette shook her head. “It’s the truth. I swear, I’ve never killed anyone before and I really don’t ever intend to. My mother on the other hand… well. When she discovered that she was pregnant with me, she left the life. But she still trained me, so I could be protected in case anyone discovered her. I don’t _want_ to be an assassin, I don’t want to join the Brotherhood. I know my mother loves the life she lives now, but sometimes, it feels like she’s just waiting for her chance to go back. And she wants me to go with her. 

Mother always says ‘your blood is not your own’. We’re part of an old bloodline that has been part of the Brotherhood for centuries. We have been born with certain abilities because of our genetics. We call it the Sight, or Eagle Vision. We can see things that are hidden, silhouettes of enemies through walls, people of interest. Because of this sacred ability, it’s like she thinks it’s our duty to go back, someday. But that’s not what I want for my life. 

She told me tonight what my birth father’s name is. It’s why I was out running. I needed to...process. I’ve been really struggling with my three identities. The teenage girl, the assassin, the hero. Now, I have to add a fourth. The heiress. You see, my birth father is Bruce Wayne. Chloé can’t call me Mari-Trash anymore. I’m more blue-blooded than she is, it turns out.”

Adrien stared at her. Marinette felt very vulnerable, she’d never truly laid bare before anyone, her secrets. Adrien must have sensed her walls going back up, so he simply pulled her close as he processed her words. “Marinette. I loved you before you told me your story. And I still love you now. You’ve had such immense pressure on you your whole life, and you carry it so well. But please know, I’m here to help you carry that weight from now on. As your partner, your friend and...well, as someone who loves you more than anything.”

Marinette felt a tear roll down her cheek. “I love you.” She whispered. 

He kissed her forehead gently, lingering. “I love you too.”

They were silent for a moment longer, just holding each other and revelling in the peace that they invoked in their shared presence.

“The Waynes’ are old money,” Adrien began. “Like, founding family of Gotham. They’re one of the richest families in the world. My father only gets a modicum of respect from the old families because he married my mother, who was a Graham de Vanily. But he still doesn’t have a grasp on the more subtle niceties of that social class. Mother taught me before...before she disappeared. I could, I could help tutor you in that, if you wanted? I know you worry about fitting in.”

Marinette smiled up at him warmly, knowing that he was coming from a place of love and protectiveness and not condescension. “I would really like that, thank you.”

“Are you going to tell Mr Wayne? That you’re his daughter?” 

Marinette shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, I don’t want him to think I’m only contacting him now for financial reasons, or that I want something from him. And how would I go about contacting him, anyway? When am I ever going to see Bruce Wayne of all people?” 


	4. Gabriel Is A Fuck, Tear The Bitch Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm not good at writing the in between parts, like, getting to the plot point. I just feel like it drags

Chapter 4

Marinette should not have tempted Fate. Instead of going to New York, the school trip would be going to Gotham instead. She couldn’t believe this turn of events, but Adrien, who had since moved to the back of the room to sit beside her, gripped her hand tightly as it was announced. 

Apparently, they would be touring Wayne Enterprises as well, over FOUR DAYS. That would be four days that there might be a chance of meeting her birth father. Oh stars, she didn’t know if she was ready for that. What if she did run into him? What if he recognised her somehow? Marinette didn’t know what to do.

Of course, Lila had already started on her bullshit. She was claiming to know the Waynes’ personally, and that she had an on again off again thing going on with Damien ‘Dami’ Wayne. Ugh, Marinette’s little brother. The thought of Lila tried to come onto any of Marinette’s family members made her want to hurl. 

Ever since Marinette told Adrien about her paternal parentage, he had been helping her study Gotham society and its expectations, if she wanted to publicly announce she was a Wayne. After talking with Bruce Wayne, of course. But Marinette wasn’t sure she wanted to be a part of the media circus that the Wayne family represented. Seeing how Adrien was treated by the media, and he was nowhere as famous as the Waynes’, and it turned her off to the notion quite strongly. However, if she was publicly a Wayne, that would certainly give her the most clout to shut Lila down. Was the satisfaction of proving Lila to be a liar worth the potential lack of privacy that comes with being a public figure? 

Marinette shook her head, that really wasn’t what was important right now. Firstly, how was she even going to broach the subject with the Waynes’. Would they even think her legitimate enough to consider her claims? To test if it were true? 

Marinette had googled Bruce Wayne since discovering who he was. At the time, she had been surprised to see that she actually had four brothers and one sister. That was far more than what her mother had said. Damien, the youngest boy, was her only biological sibling. The second oldest Jason, had been killed by the Joker, but there were rumours that he had survived and was currently on life-support. With the kind of money that Bruce Wayne had, it would surprise Marinette one bit if that was true. Marinette’s family had grown exponentially since learning who her biological father was. She looked at the pictures of her sibling hungrily. She had always wanted brothers and sisters, Marinette hoped that would accept her. She hoped Bruce would accept her. A thought chilled her to the bone. 

What...what if Bruce didn’t _want her_? He already had five children, he already had his life there. Would Marinette just be a disruptive element? She didn’t want to cause problems. And if he _did_ accept her, how would their relationship even work? Marinette lived in Paris, had her own parents and friends and Bruce had his life in Gotham. Not exactly conducive for family members to get to know each other. Marinette was _allergic_ to being a bother or a burden. She refused to become that to her new family. A big part of her didn’t want the Waynes’ to know about her existence. She didn’t think she could handle being a Wayne. She didn’t think she was...worthy of something like that.

So, Marinette resolved to not bring it up to the Waynes’. If they figured it out, then the ball would be in their court. She would not impose upon them in any way. Luckily, the trip was a few months off, so she could agonise over her decision in the meantime. 

Adrien was an amazing support, in and out of the mask. People at school had commented on their sudden closeness, but they weren’t at all PDA. They hadn’t even kissed in private. They hugged, snuggled and maybe kissed each other on the head or the cheek. But they’d never gone further than that. They knew that they had kissed before in the past, but that had never been between Adrien and Marinette. There had always been something else driving that forward. The first time they kissed, they decided it would be for them, and just for them. Not because of stress or an akuma or because their friends were egging them on. They were dedicated to taking it slow, they had only mentioned to a couple of people that they were together, despite their almost ostentatious love and devotion to each other. 

Marinette had anxiety sewed almost an entire new wardrobe for herself, the only thing being able to distract her from her fears about going to Gotham. That, and it kept her from being Akumatised. Not that her feelings were strong enough to cause a panic attack, as she was used to juggling her three personas, but being that anxious for that long wasn’t exactly healthy either.

Adrien had banned coffee, and had started working out with Marinette everyday during lunch period to help stave off her nervous energy. Marinette actually really enjoyed sharing her training with Adrien, his hand-to-hand combat steadily improving, which could only help in their fight against Hawkmoth. His body got stronger, muscles gaining stamina. It made his fencing better as well, Kagami managing to beat him less and less, which Mr Agreste seemed to approve of. 

Adrien had admitted to his father that he and Marinette had gotten much closer, and that she had been working out with him everyday, which was directly correlated to his physical improvement. Gabriel had given his grudging approval, as he had known that Marinette wasn’t as bad an influence on Adrien as Lila would have him believe. He knew Lila was just jealous. He thought that if he could make Lila jealous enough, she could be a much stronger Akuma, if those emotions had been stewing for an extended amount of time. 

So, he approved of their friendship, and Adrien wasn’t sure if he wanted to look the gift-horse in the mouth. If Gabriel was going to allow Adrien to spend time with Marinette, he wasn’t going to question it. 

Both Marinette and Adrien had growing suspicions that Gabriel might be Hawkmoth. It was almost too obvious. Who else in the city was cold enough, wealthy enough and obsessive enough to be a supervillain? Plus, all the butterfly architecture in the manor was a bit of a giveaway. Gabriel was most likely trying to get the Black Cat and Bug Miraculous and combine them, to grant his wish of having Emilie returned to him. Adrien admitted to Marinette that Gabriel was obsessive over the Guardian book and that when Adrien took it, he might have seen the Peacock miraculous next to it, before he knew to look for it. All signs pointed to Gabriel and Nathalie being Hawkmoth and Mayura. 

Adrien had been devastated when the evidence all pointed to his father. He felt like he had now lost both of his parents. First, his mother disappeared and now he lost his father to the madness of villainy. Now more than ever, Adrien found himself wondering if what his aunt said was true, that Gabriel had killed Emilie somehow, a fit of passion. Perhaps becoming Hawkmoth was his attempt to right that terrible wrong, no matter the cost?

Both Marinette and Adrien were starting to feel somewhat overwhelmed by it all, but being able to support each other, kept them sane and calm. 


	5. Because Apparently Bruce Wayne Has Distinctive Enough Blue Eyes That Any Child With The Same Shade Is Clearly His Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What it says on the tin. Also, fuck Lila

Chapter 5

Gabriel allowed Adrien to go to Gotham, knowing that he would be going on a tour of Wayne Enterprises. He wanted Adrien to somehow foster relations between the two companies. Being seen there and being extremely complimentary was a way to start the conversation. 

Adrien didn’t care about Gabriel’s ulterior motives, just that he was being allowed to go with his class to support Marinette and to just generally have a good time. Marinette had brought Kaalki with her, so if there was an akuma alert, they could teleport back to Paris, defeat the monster and then pop back to Gotham without anyone being the wiser. Well, that was the plan, anyway. 

Lila had been going on and on about Gotham, how she had been helping in concert with Wayne Enterprises with various charities, as the daughter of a diplomat. She said how close she was with all the Wayne children, and how she and Damien had grown very close since the death of his brother Jared. Marinette scoffed internally, _Jason_ had been murdered and _Damien_ would have been _three-years-old_ and Lila would have been _four_! But Marinette kept her peace. She was just a stupid girl who thought lies were the cheat code into power. They might lead to power temporarily, but the house of cards would collapse eventually. And then everyone would see the truth. Marinette would bide her time. Lila would be found out soon enough. 

After a nine hour flight, they had finally landed in Gotham, and Marinette’s simmering anxiety ramped up fast. If it wasn’t for Adrien holding her hand, she probably would have started hyperventilating. They were taken to a rather fancy hotel, Gotham Royal Hotel, as Chloé Bourgeois would not be staying in anything less than a four star hotel. Mayor Bourgeois had forked out extra to get the entire class to be able to stay there. The suite she was sharing with Alya was lovely, the most luxurious place she had ever personally, stayed in overnight. She headed straight to the bathroom and stared at her reflection as she splashed water on her face. She felt a scream building in her throat, but she stamped it down, though she felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. 

“This is the nicest bathroom I’ve ever had a mental breakdown in.” Marinette thought to herself. Shaking the emotions away, she stripped off and got into the shower. It had more shower heads than she thought were appropriate in one shower, but once the warm water was on, it was like a full body massage and Marinette felt herself relaxing for the first time since she heard they were coming to Gotham. After standing under the water for a solid three minutes, she figured she should actually wash. After another five minutes, Marinette turned off the water and stepped gingerly out onto the warm tiled floor. Oooh, in floor heating. She dried and redressed as quickly as she could, flipping her hair up into a towel to dry. When Marinette came out, Alya was sitting on one of the beds with Lila, of course(!)

“Hey, sorry for taking so long in the shower, took a bit longer to decompress than I thought. It’s amazing by the way, seriously, like a massage.” Marinette said with a gentle smile. “I might go to sleep, it’s what, eleven pm?”

Alya smiled softly in return. “No problem girl. I might hop in the shower myself.” She turned to Lila. “You know who you’re sharing with, yeah?” 

Lila nodded, her usual fake smile spread across her face, with a slight deprecating quirk. “With Mylene. She’s nice enough, a real sweetie, but…” 

“But what?” Alya asked, resting a hand on Lila’s shoulder. 

“I wish I could be sharing with you.” Lila said with a grin. “Then it would be like a sleepover with one of my _close_ bffs.” 

Marinette pretended to already be asleep, so they couldn’t even ask if she wanted to switch rooms. That would be a conversation they could have tomorrow, after sleep, when Marinette felt more stable and less likely to slap Lila across her lying face out of pure irritation and emotional exhaustion. Already, she was missing her kitty. At least he would have her back no matter what.

It didn’t take long for Marinette to actually fall asleep.

The next morning, they were awoken by dim sunlight. Even in the early morn, the smog covered skies still blotted out the sun somewhat. Marinette, who was not normally a morning person, was up with the rays, quickly changing and getting ready for the day. Her nervous energy from yesterday had followed her.

After a small exploration around the immediate area, the class split into two groups. Luckily for Marinette, Alya was in her group and Lila was in the other. Lila’s group was going to the main Gotham museum for the day, while Marinette’s group set off to Wayne Enterprises for their first small tour. 

The tours at W.E would be going for four days, interchanging with the various galleries and museums that Gotham had, which despite all the villains, still managed to hold quite a few rare and expensive artifacts. It was spread out so everyone could have equal time at every destination. Then a general exploration of the more...upscale parts of Gotham, which were considered safer, toward the end of the two weeks. Then they would be finishing with a formal dinner at Wayne Enterprises. 

Bruce Wayne had been a huge part of the America/France Friendship Program, and was hosting a fair deal of their trip. His third son, Timothy, a genius who had already completed high school at sixteen, was co-CEO of Wayne Enterprise. He was put in charge of W.Es interests in the Friendship collaboration. And Marinette was nervous. She hoped he wouldn’t recognise her. 

But she scoffed at thought, feeling self-congratulatory. As if she was important enough to be memorable to such busy and important people as the Waynes’. Even if she was sort of Timothy's sister, Bruce didn’t even know about her. She wasn’t important in the grand scheme of things, at least, here in America. She tried her best, once they got to W.E, to semi-hide behind Adrien and to not draw attention to herself. Adrien didn’t say anything, but allowed her to cling to his hand, out of silent support. 

When Timothy Drake-Wayne met them in the foyer, Marinette froze minutely. Even if she had stronger Asian features, you could mistake her and Timothy for siblings, or even twins. He had black hair and blue eyes, just like Bruce Wayne, just like her.

“Good morning, welcome to Gotham and welcome to Wayne Enterprises. I hope your first night here in our city has been a pleasant one, and that the rest of your stay is enjoyable and educational. This is a momentous day, in broaching our two countries closer in friendship. I look forward to chatting with each of you at least once during your four days visiting us here at Wayne Enterprises. Now, with that out of the way, let’s get on with the tour!” Mr Drake announced. 

Mr Drake, as he preferred to be called at work, so there wouldn’t be confusion as to which Wayne someone was referring to, led them first to the offices that handled their charity operations. Alya, of course, was taking video of the entire thing, and asking as many questions of Mr Drake and his assistant, Melissa, as she possibly could without completely interrupting the tour. 

“Mr Drake, I was wondering if you knew Lila Rossi? She’s the daughter of the Italian Ambassador and said that she was involved with many of your charities.” Alya asked in her ‘reporter’ tone. 

Mr Drake and Melissa shared a look, as if he was confirming with her. Melissa ran through her tablet quickly, and then glanced back at Mr Drake. Though whether her response was negative or positive, it couldn’t be sure. “I’m afraid I personally don’t know of a Lila Rossi, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she was an affiliate of some sort. Here at W.E, it is a part of our mission statement to give back to the community as much as possible, as you can see here…” As he led them to yet another community program that W.E was sponsoring. 

However, Mr Drake’s response had given Alya pause. Surely he would know the name, if she were dating his younger brother. Maybe he was just saying he didn’t know her, to protect her and his brother. Lila did say their relationship was on the down low. Alya resolved to ask Lila about it when the two groups met up for dinner that evening. 

After the tour of the charities, they were led into the historical landmarks that W.E were restoring around the city. Mr Drake even encouraged them to go visit the ones in the more tourist friendly parts of the Gothic city. He gave quite a few impromptu lessons on the history of the city, and his smile grew wider, as history seemed to be something he was passionate about. Marinette liked getting this small insight into her adoptive brother’s personality, even if she was never actually going to tell him she was his sister. Marinette had decided she was fine, watching the family from afar. She was happy with her mother and step-father, and Adrien and Alya, that’s all the family she needed, right? She didn’t _need_ the Waynes’ or the Brotherhood or any of that! But even with her decision, there was a part of her that knew this contentment she was forcing on herself, was a lie. 

Marinette had always craved siblings, had felt like a part of her was missing. Maybe the Waynes’ could fill that void? She immediately pushed those thoughts aside and dashed the hope. She was most likely going to be disappointed, Marinette refused to put herself in the position to be hurt. Her mother had taught her better than that. 

During the tours, where Mr Drake let the students explore the area and ask staff questions, he himself was milling around and greeting each other the students individually. Marinette felt her anxiety spike as he finally made his way over to her and Adrien. 

“Good morning! And how are you two faring? Tell me something about yourself.” He said with a congenial smile. 

Adrien spoke up first. “Well, I’m Adrien Agreste and this...this is my girlfriend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” 

Marinette forced a cheerful smile onto her face, but it didn’t quite meet her eyes. When Mr Drake turned his gaze on Marinette, his eyes widened minutely. He took in her dark, pitch black hair, and blue eyes. Blue eyes he had only seen in one other face. Eyes that were copied directly onto this young woman’s face. 

Oh my stars, oh my stars, oh my stars, he knew, he knew, he knew, he totally fucking knew, oh my stars! She forced her tone to come out as naturally as possible. “Pleasure to meet you, Mr Drake. Thank you for being so kind as to take us on this tour yourself. I’m sure, as co-CEO, you are quite a busy man.” 

Mr Drake blinked, his surprise quickly overtaken by his normal welcoming smile. “The pleasure is mine. Marinette did you say? What a lovely name. And you Mr Agreste, I assume you are Gabriel Agreste’s son?” 

Adrien quickly took control of the situation. “Yes, that would be me. I’ve been very excited to come to Gotham, my father has told me great things about Wayne Enterprises. I had no idea that the company was so involved with so many charities and initiatives. What a noble achievement!”

Mr Drake smiled, seeming to immediately know the game Adrien was trying to play, on behalf of his father. “Yes, we are quite proud, though we endeavour to continue to do good and help our community. Does _Gabriel_ do much charity work?”

“Some, we host many fashion competitions, to get the youth of Paris and France, recognised and praised for their talents. Though, I wish we could do more. Marinette has won quite a few of the competitions, haven’t you, m’lady? I even modeled that hat you made in Paris Fashion Week.” Adrien said, turning to Marinette. He was hoping to boast of her accomplishments to Mr Drake. Maybe, when the time comes, if Marinette was already quite successful, then they might be more receptive when she finally tells them who she was. 

“Ah yes, I was really proud of that piece.” Marinette said, trying to keep her voice steady. 

“Wow, Paris Fashion Week, that’s a fairly prestigious event.” Mr Drake complimented. 

Adrien nodded. “Oh, but she’s also made tour costumes and gear for the musician Jagged Stone. She even designed a cover for one of his albums. Not to mention working with Clara Nightingale. Even Audrey Bourgeois, the Fashion Queen, offered Marinette an apprenticeship in New York.” 

Marinette was blushing bright red at Adrien’s recounting of her achievements to her adoptive brother. “Please, Adrien, it’s impolite to brag.” 

Mr Drake laughed. “Oh, he’s just proud of his girlfriend. Though I must say, that your achievements are _very_ impressive, especially for someone as young as yourself.” 

Marinette smiled warmly, albeit somewhat bashfully. “Well, you’re quite impressive yourself. I read that you graduated high school at sixteen, and here you are, co-CEO of a major corporation at your age. Lots of talent in the world.” She was trying to shift the attention away from herself. She didn’t need Adrien singing her praises to Mr Drake. Marinette wanted to be unnoticed. She didn’t want the Waynes’ looking into her too strongly. What if they found out? Blue eyes and black hair aren't _that_ uncommon. Surely he was just surprised at how similar they looked. He couldn't possibly have drawn the conclusion that she could be related to Bruce Wayne in any way? 

Mr Drake seemed to blush slightly himself. “Thank you for your kind words, but what you have achieved is still impressive. Perhaps there could be a future here for you at Wayne Enterprises.” He cleared his throat as he heard Melissa walk up behind him. “It was lovely meeting you both, but I should greet some more of your peers. I hope, within the next few days, we’ll find a chance to chat again.” 

With a kind smile, Mr Drake excused himself and continued his meandering, talking to student and staff alike. Marinette felt like passing out. That was more exhausting than an Akuma, a fashion competition, and an exam put together. Adrien pulled Marinette into an one armed hug and rubbed her shoulders. 

“You did so well, Marinette. I’m really proud of you.” 

“I just wish you hadn’t gone on about everything I’ve done. I didn’t really want to draw attention to myself.”

Adrien raised his eyebrows. “And why not?” 

Marinette sighed. “I don’t belong in this world, Adrien. I’m not meant to be some billionaire’s daughter, always in the public eye. At least, not here, being only known as a Wayne and not for my own talents. I don’t think I want them to know. I don’t think I want them to know who I am.” 

Unbeknownst to them, Timothy was already putting Marinette’s name into the Bat Computer. He may potentially have another sibling on his hands, if his suspicions about Miss Dupain-Cheng were correct.


	6. Jason Is a Good Brother™

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was my favourite chapter to write so far. Probably OOC tho. I'm not hugely in the Batman fandom.

Chapter 6

Jason glared at the computer screen in front of him. Fucking Replacement was emailing him about another potential kid that Bruce never told them about. Some French high school girl called 'Marinette'. He wanted Jason to tail her around the city, keep an eye on her while Timothy either proved or disproved his theory that this girl could be Demon Spawn's older half-sibling. He looked at the assembled file. They couldn’t get her birth certificate, but they did get her medical records. Scar on her right ring finger from a bad burn, and few broken bones from childhood accidents, rarely sick, physically very fit. 

Jason had to admit, the picture that he was given of the girl was pretty damning evidence. She had his eyes. She had Bruce's exact fucking shade of blue eyes. When he looked closer, the shape of her jaw and the pitch of her nose could have been copy pasted straight from B's features. Hell, he could even see some of Damien in her. She was clearly half Chinese, just like Damien. They shared some of the same ethnic markers. 

What's with Bruce and his fucking yellow fever? Ugh. Gross. 

Fine. He'll follow the little Pixie Pop around if he had to, but he wasn't gonna go out of his way to be nice to her. She could be as bad as Demon Spawn. 

But after a little google of her, he was pleasantly surprised. She seemed like a normal, well adjusted teenager, unlike the rest of the Bats. She was even a little bit famous, in certain circles, for her talent in fashion design and her extreme attention to even the smallest detail. That was another check in the "definitely a Wayne" column. Only a Wayne could be _that_ anal about minute details. It's what made them such excellent detectives. 

Even if it turned out she wasn't a Wayne, Jason wouldn't be surprised if Bruce tried to adopt her anyway. 

Her parents seemed fairly normal. They owned a somewhat famous bakery in the heart of Paris. Her step-father (another check in the sus column) was a _huge_ man, could give Bane a run for his money. He would be terrifying if not for his sparkling eyes and warm, friendly smile. The mother, she seemed normal too. Except she was a master martial artist, specialising in the bo staff. Definitely Bruce's type then. Timothy would find out soon enough if a Sabine Cheng showed up anywhere in Bruce's past. It would not surprise Jason _at all_. Bruce tended to… get around. 

So, a young person, black hair, blue eyes. Highly focused, highly detail oriented. Very talented in chosen vocation. Possibly a highly skilled martial artist. Yeah, probably a Wayne. 

He headed out towards the Ritzier part of town and soon found the class eating dinner at a nice, upper middle-class restaurant. He spotted Marinette easily. Watching her talk animatedly with her friends was so very different from looking at a photo. Her features were lit up, and her smile was enchanting. She was sunshine personified. And going by the lovestruck expression of the blonde boy sitting next to her, Jason wasn't the only one who noticed. 

Sometimes, during a lull in conversation, she would look at the boy next to her with the most tender, loving expression. So the feeling was obviously mutual. 

They must be in a relationship, as the boy would sometimes lift her hand to his mouth and kiss her knuckles when no one was paying attention to them, causing Marinette to blush softly each time he did it. They were clearly, deeply, in love with each other. It was odd, to see a face so similar to Damien's, filled with such soft emotion. Damien was cold and brutal. Almost unfeeling. Marinette was the opposite. She exuded warmth and kindness, Jason could sense it from where he was lurking across the street. 

Soon enough, the class left the restaurant. As they were boarding their bus, a creep started moving towards the last small cluster of girls waiting to get on. Marinette saw what was happening and was there in a flash. She glared at the man, seeming to tell him to back the fuck off. The man moved suddenly, as if to lunge, but he met Marinette's fist instead. It was a clean hit. She moved her whole body through the movement, a quick jab and the man went right down. He didn't move. It made Jason raise an eyebrow as Marinette ushered the girls onto the bus, not even sparing the unconscious creep a glance. 

The bus quickly took off and headed back to the hotel they were staying at. Gotham Royal Hotel. Not cheap. He wouldn't be surprised if W.E was helping to foot the bill. It wasn't like they couldn't afford it. 

He perched on the roof of the building opposite the hotel, keeping an eye on the main entrance and the service entrance. He'd been there a long time, he wasn't surprised to sense Bruce land, in full gear, somewhere behind him and approached him slowly. 

"It's late." _Why aren't you home?_ Was the unspoken question. 

"Didn't Replacement tell you?" 

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Don't call him that. And no. He said nothing."

"Hmm. Must still be researching. You don't happen to know a woman named Sabine Cheng, would you?" 

Bruce froze. "How do you know that name?" 

Jason nodded toward the hotel. "Her daughter was at W.E today. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Fifteen years old. Blue eyes, black hair. Devastating right hook. Ringing any bells?" 

"I dated Sabine Cheng, a fling, a little more than fifteen years ago. But it was quick, a couple of months. Sabine moved on from Gotham not long after we called it quits, amicably." Bruce said slowly. 

"Well, I think you got her pregnant. Because this girl looks a hell of a lot like you. Even though she carries another man's name, he's definitely her _step_ -father. Damnit B, learn to keep it in your pants."

Bruce didn't answer, he was still staring at the hotel in shock. "Why wouldn't Sabine tell me? We parted as friends, I wouldn't have taken the child from her." He whispered. 

Jason shrugged. "Not my department. Replacement told me to keep an eye on her while he researched her. But we can't know for sure until a paternity test. But I almost don't think you need one. She looks so much like Demon Spawn, it makes me a little uncomfortable."

"You've seen her then, up close?" 

"I watched her have dinner with her boyfriend and her class. Some creep tried something as the last of the students were getting on the bus. Marinette decked him. It was a thing of beauty, honestly. He wasn't getting up. Then I followed them here. Been watching the place ever since. Can never be too careful in Gotham."

Bruce murmured his agreement. "Thank you for keeping an eye on her. You didn't have to, I appreciate it."

Jason shrugged. "I was curious. But she seems pretty normal, unlike the rest of us."

"What have you found out about her?" 

"Talented fashion designer. A little bit famous in those circles. Fairly accomplished for a fifteen-year-old. She appears to be very in love with her boyfriend. Can throw a decent punch. That's about it. What are you thinking, B?" 

Bruce took a deep breath. "I want to meet her."

"It'll be hard getting her away from her class. But, she'll be at W.E again tomorrow, so you might get your chance then."

"I don't want to spook her, but I don't want to be Brucie with her either. That's not who I really am."

"Maybe talk to Replacement about this. He'll be able to help you with that better than me. I always favour the direct approach, but this'll probably require a… gentler one."

"Hmm. Don't stay out here too late. You need your sleep."

"Lazarus doesn't really let me sleep much anyway. Sitting here was almost relaxing."

"Still, at least eat something."

Jason scoffed. "Yes, _dad_."

Bruce chuckled. "Goodnight, I'll speak with you tomorrow."


	7. Hello God? It's Me, Marinette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So... this chapter happened

Chapter 7

Marinette steeled herself as she got ready. Today would be the last day of her group’s tour of W.E. She just had to avoid Mr Drake and any other potential Waynes’ that may appear during the tour. Simple enough, right? 

WRONG!

The moment they arrived, they were greeted by Mr Drake, who easily made his way over to Adrien and Marinette, stating that Mr Wayne would love to meet Adrien Agreste and his girlfriend, Marinette. This made their peers gasp, particularly Alya, who could sense the scoop.

Adrien gripped her hand tightly, but comfortingly, and nodded his assent to Mr Drake. 

He led them to an executive elevator, which needed a thumbprint to access. The building itself had strong art deco themes, which made it stand out from the rest of the city’s Gothic architecture. Marinette, if she hadn’t been so extremely anxious, would have admired it closer. 

Mr Drake was attempting to make casual conversation, and Marinette was doing her utmost to sound equally as light-hearted, to cover how much her insides felt like they were jumping around. 

The elevator dinged after many agonising minutes and Mr Drake strode forward down a long, wide marble corridor towards a large set of double doors. They looked like they might actually be gold plated. Mr Drake nodded to the receptionist, who waved them through the big doors. 

The office itself looked to be almost as big as the corridor they walked up. The walls were lined with bookshelf after bookshelf. There were statues and artifacts on display and big, luxurious looking black leather sofas. There was one long carpet that led to a raised area when sat a big, mahogany desk, which had a computer, some files and some picture frames, facing away from the door. Behind the desk was a large portrait of a man, a woman and a young boy which dominated the wall. To the right of the desk, as you walked in the door, was massive windows which displayed the Gotham skyline. The office was high enough to sit above the smog bank, filling the room with unfiltered sunlight. 

There, sat at the back of the grand looking office behind the desk, was Bruce Wayne. 

He looked up from the folder he was reading and smiled gently at the two teens and his son. He gestured to the two armchairs in front of the desk. “Please, make yourselves comfortable.” He looked at his son, “That will be all, Tim.” 

Mr Drake smiled. “Of course.” And he turned and walked back out the way he came, closing the big doors behind him with an echoing thud. Marinette wished the two chairs were closer together, so she could hold Adrien’s hand to stave off her fright. She mentally berated herself. She was Ladybug, goddamn it! She took a deep breath and let the calm of Ladybug envelop her. It helped that she could feel Tikki in her handbag, her energy giving Marinette strength.

Mr Wayne looked to the teens in front of him and smiled sheepishly. “I am sorry about pulling you away from your class. But I felt we needed to speak. I tried to think of better ways to do this, but claiming I wished to meet young Mr Agreste under the guise of business would make this...easier. People won’t ask as many questions.”

“Then if this isn’t about business, then what did you wish to see us about, Mr Wayne?” Marinette asked, pretending she was her hero alter-ego, attempting to project cool confidence. 

Mr Wayne paused, as if considering her words. “You are Sabine Cheng’s daughter, correct?”

Marinette felt her chin lifting, somewhat defiantly. “Yes, that’s right.” 

Mr Wayne smiled gently. “You see, I knew your mother. We were a couple for a short time, a little more than fifteen years. We parted ways, but as friends. I didn’t hear from her again after that.” 

“So, you invited us here to talk to the daughter of an old flame?” Marinette questioned, being deliberately obtuse.

“I think we both know why you’re here, Miss Dupain-Cheng.” Mr Wayne said, looking faintly amused. “What has your mother told you about your biological father?” 

Marinette blinked, before taking a deep breath and shaking her head. “Let’s just stop dancing around, I don’t have the energy for the game we’re playing. You believe that you are my biological father.” She stated plainly. 

Mr Wayne seemed taken aback by the abrupt turn of events. “Uh, yes. It makes sense. You are fifteen, I was with your mother fifteen years ago. You carry the last name of your step-father and you somewhat resemble me and my son, Damien.”

“I love my Papa. He may be my step-father, but he has treated me and accepted me as if I was his own flesh and blood. I am proud to have his last name. However, I have always known that he was not my natural father. But since I regarded him as such, I never bothered to ask Maman who my biological father was...until about four months ago.” Marinette took a deep breath. “After a girl at my school was implying nasty things about my mother, I asked her who my father was. She told me it was you.”

“And how do you feel about that?”

“Ill-equipped, Mr Wayne. Ill-equipped and ill-suited.”

“How so?”

“I am not someone who is designed to be in the spotlight. Being your daughter would require me to be something I am not. I am...unworthy of it.” 

“My Lady!” Adrien exclaimed. “Don’t ever say that about yourself! You deserve the world, after everything you’ve been through and-” 

“Adrien, please,” Marinette said, levelling her partner with an even look. “I know you think rather grand things of me, but I’m really not all that. I’m just a simple, ordinary girl. I’m hardly Wayne Enterprises material and I’m hardly Wayne family material. Marinette Dupain-Cheng is just a nobody, I’m just a nobody. That’s my place, it’s always been my place.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Mr Wayne disagreed. “You’re a very talented designer, if you’re to be measured by your previous achievements. And your growing fashion label, MDC, seems to be taking off, if your commissions website is to be counted. Hardly a nobody if the Fashion Queen herself offered to take you to New York with her to apprentice.” 

Marinette shook her head. “There’s a difference between being famous for my talent and being a Wayne. If you pardon me for saying, Monsieur, but you are one of the most famous people in the world, and perhaps the richest as well. There’s hardly anyone who wouldn’t recognise you, if not by your face, then by your name. That’s a far higher level than I deserve.”

Mr Wayne smiled softly at her. “You know, a lesser person would jump at the chance to be a Wayne, for the sake of the money or the fame or the power. But when offered the world, you don’t think you’re worthy of it or deserve it. You are a rare kind, my dear. And more than worthy of being a Wayne, because you understand what it means. You don’t and won’t take the mantle lightly.” 

Marinette didn’t know what to say to that, but she could no longer force herself to stare into her own eyes reflected back at her from Mr Wayne’s face. She looked down at her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

“I won’t force you, I won’t push being a Wayne onto you. You have your own life, and you should live it as you choose. But I would like the chance to get to know you, if you would permit me?” Mr Wayne asked, his tone somewhat hopeful. 

Marinette couldn’t help but blush at his words and his tone. “I would like that very much, Mr Wayne.”

Mr Wayne smiled brightly at that, the smile of his shifting his features, which had been so serious before, into something warm and almost loving. “Thank you for giving me that chance. However, I do have to ask one favour.”

Marinette swallowed. “And what would that be, sir?”

“Please, call me Bruce.”


	8. I Thought You Needed A Blood Test To Figure Out Paternity, But Apparently That's Not The Case

Chapter 8

Mr Drake (“Please, call me Tim.”) led his father and the two teens down a few floors. “Now, this is just a precaution, but we would like to do a paternity test. It’s mostly just a formality at this point. Even if the test somehow proves negative, I’m sure Bruce has already decided to figuratively adopt you anyway.”

“Tim.” Bruce said in a warning tone. 

Tim laughed. “Tell me I’m wrong.” He challenged with a teasing voice. 

Bruce rolled his eyes, but he was still clearly amused by his third son’s comments. 

Somehow, that made Marinette feel better, knowing that if the test proved negative, Bruce still wanted her, would still accept her as a daughter. It made something inside Marinette feel warm and fuzzy, like how Papa made her feel when he went out of his way to do something thoughtful for her. Papa didn’t have to love her, but he did anyway. 

Once inside one of the many R&D levels, Tim led them to a virtually deserted part and through a door and into an office where an older man stood, clearly waiting for them. He bore a _striking_ resemblance to Morgan Freeman. 

“Hello, I’m Lucius Fox. I understand that I will be performing a paternity test for this young lady and Mr Wayne?” 

“That’s correct, Lucius.” Bruce replied. 

After a few moments, Lucius swabbed both Marinette’s inner cheek and Bruce’s and put the tests in the Mass Spect. But it was the most advanced Mass Spect that was out there, Marinette had never seen anything like it. 

‘We should have the results back in, oh, fifteen/twenty minutes.”

Marinette was amazed. “Wow, I thought DNA tests took hours to get results.”

Lucius chuckled. “I think you’ll find that W.E is ahead of the curve in many aspects. Though, this baby wasn’t cheap. Too costly at the moment to mass produce for the public, so I’m afraid it’s not available to the general population. But one day, people will be able to find out that they’re a baby daddy much faster.” He said with a laugh. 

Tim had to get back to see how the tour group was going, but he would return when the results were ready. Which left Bruce and Lucius with Marinette and Adrien. Adrien himself was fascinated by the mass spect and was asking Lucius a thousand questions about it, intelligent questions too. When it was remarked upon, Adrien blushed. 

“I’m just really into science. Particularly bio-engineering. I think it’s so interesting.” 

Marinette smiled lovingly at Adrien. “There’s nothing wrong with it, kitty. You’re allowed to be interested in things outside of work.” 

Adrien rubbed the back of his head bashfully. “I know. I’m...getting better at it.”

Bruce frowned at Adrien. “Do you not have interests outside of school and...work?” 

Adrien shrugged. “Only ones approved by my father. He wants me to do well in school, of course, but he would rather me be interested in business and the extracurriculars that he assigns me. That, and all the modelling I do for his company.”

Bruce’s mouth formed into a tight line, but he was stopped from replying by the mass spect beeping. The results were ready. As if he had heard the beeping like a dog hears a dog whistle, Tim was back in a flash as well. 

After perusing the results for a moment, Lucius’s polite smile stretched into a wide grin as he turned to face the other people assembled before him. “Congratulations, Mr Wayne, it’s a girl. You are officially a father for the sixth time.” 

Tim whooped, pulling Marinette in for a tight, but brief hug. “Welcome to the family, sis.” 

Marinette blushed as her new brother pulled away from her. She smiled kindly. “Thank you, Tim.” She glanced over at Bruce, who came and clasped a hand on her shoulder in an almost loving way. 

He hesitated for a moment before also pulling her into a brief hug. He kept it short, as to not overwhelm her. “Well, now that’s over with, I should probably call your mother. I want to reassure her, that even though you are officially my child, that I will not ever try to take you away from her. She’ll not have to endure a custody battle. But like I said before, I would like to get to know you, with both her and your permission.” 

Marinette pulled out her phone and opened up her mother’s contact details before handing him her phone. “I’m not sure what time it is in Paris, but they are usually up before four to get the dough ready for bread making.” 

“It’s about 5:30pm in Paris, Mr Wayne.” Lucius answered. 

Marinette smiled. “Then they should be free. The bakery tends to close at 3pm, since breakfast and lunch are generally their busiest time.” 

Bruce copied the number into his phone, but not before putting his own number in Marinette’s contacts under B.W. Sabine Cheng picked up after the second ring. 

“Hello, who is speaking please?” Came her voice, clear English. Obviously the area code appeared on her phone. 

“Sabine, it’s me, Bruce. Marinette and I have met - Yes, we’ve done a paternity test, but it was more just a formality, the dates matched and we look so similar - Don’t worry about that, Sabine. I would never even dream of taking Marinette away from you and Tom. I may be her father, but you are her parents - Yes, you can keep this number, it’s my personal cell - I will be making plans to come visit Paris in the future, so we can sit down and talk properly - Yes, that would be lovely. I should let you go, you’ve probably had a very long day as it is - Of course, I will tell her. Thank you. Good bye.” 

“Tell me what?” Marinette inquired. 

Bruce smiled warmly at her. “She said that she loves you and that she’ll call you bright and early tomorrow, your time.”

“Ah, I see. Well then, what now?” 

“I should probably return you to your class. However, I must ask that you keep this to yourself until we can meet again and talk about it more thoroughly. I don’t want the press to get ahold of this until we’re ready.” Bruce asked. 

“Of course. I wasn’t going to tell anyone anyway. This we can just say you and _Gabriel_ were attempting to foster a business connection, in the spirit of the Friendship initiative.” Marinette suggested. 

“A brilliant suggestion,” Tim exclaimed. “We’ll make a crafty Wayne of you yet, you’re a natural at the Game already.”

“Mari is our class president. She knows how to spin things.” Adrien said with pride. “Everyone relies on her. We call her our Everyday Ladybug. Always saving the day.”

“‘Everyday Ladybug’?” Tim queried.

“You know, Miraculous Ladybug and Chat Noir?” Adrien said slowly. “Heroes of Paris?” 

Tim and Bruce looked at each other incredulously. “Uh, no?” 

“Huh, I would have thought that would have hit internationally.” Adrien said, glancing at Marinette in confusion. 

Marinette shrugged. “Paris isn’t that infamous, like Gotham or those other cities.” 

“Is that why you call Marinette ‘My Lady’? Because she’s your ‘Everyday _Lady_ bug’?” Bruce asked, tilting his head. 

Adrien blushed bright red, making Marinette giggle. “Cat got your tongue, kitty?” 

“It’s uh, just our pet names for each other.” Adrien squeaked out, making the Waynes’ laugh. 

“Anyway, I should get back to work, Tim will take you back to your class. I put my number in your contacts. Feel free to call or text. I’ll always find time to chat with you.” Bruce said. He hesitated for a moment, before pulling Marinette into a hug. “I want to be a part of your life, when you’re ready. We’ll go at your pace.” He murmured in her ear. 

Marinette pulled back and smiled warmly at her father. “Thank you, Bruce. I would really like that.” 

Both Waynes’ shook Adrien’s hand. “Don’t worry about your father, Adrien. You have left an excellent impression on me, despite dating my daughter.” Bruce said with a wink. “Treat her well.” 

“Y-yes sir.” Adrien said with a shaky grin. 


	9. I Think Only In Dot Points

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have nothing to say

Chapter 9

All eyes were on Adrien and Marinette when Tim dropped them back to their tour group. Adrien stood slightly in front of Marinette, subconsciously shielding her from the curious looks and questioning stares. As soon as Tim left them, the class swarmed around them. 

“Did you really go and meet Bruce Wayne?” 

“What was he like?” 

“What did he want?”

“Is W.E trying to collaborate on a fashion line with _Gabriel_?”  
  
  


Adrien smiled easily, taking it all in stride. “He just wanted to meet me and Marinette, as the son of a major company. I’m sure he’ll invite Chloé up to talk tomorrow when her group does the tours.” 

“Oh, and Lila too, she’s really close with the Waynes’, right?” Rose piped up. 

Marinette’s smile became slightly more strained after that, but didn’t say anything. Adrien’s smile became more stiff as well. “Well, I suppose that’s up to Mr Wayne.” 

They hadn’t missed much at all, today they tour was focusing on the scientific advancements that W.E have achieved, so they were heading back to the R&D levels, though not the same one that Marinette and Adrien were in before. 

The class was shown prototypes for the new Wayne mobile phone and were able to play with the exclusive apps and features of the phone. Of course, W.E had their own phone network. 

The students were also shown through how W.E was working on a kit for E.M.T’s to protect them on the streets of Gotham. 

Marinette focused her energy on the here and now, and did not allow her mind to linger on the life changing revelations of the past hour. That would have to wait for when she was alone or just with Adrien, to process. Adrien spent the rest of their time at W.E holding Marinette’s hand to keep her grounded. He often smiled at her reassuringly, pausing to kiss her knuckles when he had the chance. And the rest of the tour _was_ really fun, but Marinette’s mind kept wandering, despite her best efforts. 

By the time they were done at W.E, it was nearly dinner time. Time had gone by so fast, they were all meeting back at the hotel before getting dinner, then going to a comedy club. As Marinette and Adrien were walking down the front steps of W.E, a town car pulled up in front of them. The window to the passenger seat rolled down to reveal Timothy Drake. 

“Adrien, Marinette! I’m glad I caught you. Mr Wayne wanted to invite you both to dinner at the manor tonight.” He said with a charming smile. 

Adrien and Marinette shared a look. “We’re not exactly dressed for a formal dinner-” 

But Tim waved them off. “Dinner is very much informal tonight, Mr Wayne wanted to extend the offer, in the name of international business cooperation, to you and Miss Dupain-Cheng.”

Adrien and Marinette turned to their teacher, Ms Bustier, for her assent. They were going to say yes anyway, but thought it was polite to give the illusion of deference. 

“Of course you both may go. I’m sure Mr Agreste would approve, for the sake of good relations. But please, be back before eleven tonight.”

“Yes, Madame.” Both teens echoed before getting into the back seat of the town car. 

“This is Alfred Pennyworth, our butler and, well, honorary grandfather to Bruce's children.” Tim said, meeting the teens’ eyes through the rearview mirror. 

“Oh, you flatter me, Master Timothy.” Mr Pennyworth chuckled, his eyes full of warmth and affection. 

“A pleasure to meet you Monsieur Pennyworth.” The teens greeted. 

“The pleasure is mine Mr Agreste, Miss Dupain-Cheng. And please, call me Alfred.” 

The ride to Wayne Manor was quiet. Marinette spent the time quickly trying to do the decompression that she had been putting off all day. 

  
  


  1. Bruce Wayne was officially her father
  2. He accepted her unconditionally
  3. He believed she was worthy of being a Wayne
  4. He wasn’t going to try and take her from her parents
  5. He wanted her to take their relationship at her own pace
  6. He wasn’t going to insist on her publicly becoming a Wayne
  7. He was going to let her live her own life



Marinette took a deep breath and allowed her mind to linger on each statement, allowing her to accept them as fact. She gripped Adrien’s hand tightly, and he smiled at her warmly, understanding that she needed this time to process before they arrived at their destination.

As they pulled through the gates of Wayne Manor, Marinette’s mouth fell open. 

That wasn’t just a house, it was a palace, a castle. It reminded her of the grand estates she had seen in the UK, only grander. It most strongly reminded her of the Palace of Versailles, the gothic but elegant architecture, with sweeping wings. The driveway was almost painfully long, but the views of the extravagant gardens made it well worth it. 

It was stunning. Unsurprising that Wayne Manor hosted many balls and galas for the super rich and famous. 

Marinette thought she saw a face in one of the many windows, but it was gone almost as soon as she saw it. It could have been a young girl or a young boy. One of Bruce’s other children, perhaps? She fingered her right cuff ring nervously. She tried to avoid playing with it, as it tended to draw attention, and that was the last thing Marinette wanted. But as nervous as she had felt meeting Bruce and Tim, she was now worried about meeting the approval of her new adopted siblings. 

Unconsciously, Marinette started holding herself differently, the way one would be before going into battle. Despite never actually using them, she wished she had her hidden blades on her. She had a knife, of course, in the form of chopsticks holding her bun in place. Both of them were concealed knives, not to mention the collapsible bo staff tucked into the small of her back. She didn’t know what it was about the situation that was making her go into fight mode. Perhaps it had been too much exposure to Chloé? Rich kids could be the worst. Though, only Tim and Bruce came from inherently ‘rich’ families, and they had been lovely to her. Marinette strengthened her resolve and tried to relax. 

Alfred dropped them at the main door and drove the car around and out of sight, presumably to a garage hidden somewhere. Tim led them through the front door, losing his stiff posture as soon as he stepped through, as if dropping a facade. 

“Welcome to Wayne Manor,” Tim said, stretching his arms out, to show off the main foyer. 

It was as beautiful as the outside, like something out of a dream or a period drama sent in the times before Marie-Antoinette and the French Revolution. He started leading them through a door by the start of the ornate stairs, opening into a long corridor. 

“Everyone has been dying to meet you since we found out about you yesterday.” Tim added. “They’re probably all piled into the private dining room, waiting for you. I should warn you, the Waynes’? Well, it’s a crazy train. I’m sure you already know all our names, but with Damien, don’t give him a nickname, he will try to cut you.” 

Marinette, without thinking, snorted. “I’d like to see him try.” 

Tim raised an eyebrow. “Uh, you sure about that, Marinette? Because if you give him any inclination that you want to fight, he will table flip the dining table and draw swords.” 

The image of a fourteen-year-old boy drawing a sword on her, in true anger, made her laugh. “I’m sure he would. He is a boy, after all. Like a chihuahua. The smaller they are, the shittier they are. I think it’s cos they’re closer to hell than the rest of us.” Marinette said with a wry grin. 

“Like you can talk, Marinette. You’re tiny too.” Tim said with a laugh. 

“Please!” Marinette exclaimed. “I could take you, no problem.” 

This made Adrien look at her with surprise. “You must be nervous, if you’re resorting to Lady - uh, sass.” 

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Of course I’m nervous. I’m about to walk into a room with a bunch of teenagers that will not hesitate to judge me from the moment I step inside.”

Tim smiled reassuringly. “They know to behave. Bruce would put them in time-out if he found out that they were treating you badly on purpose. And you can’t be as bad as Demon Spawn. He challenged me to a duel the first time I met him, and he damn near tried to kill me. If you manage to put Damien in his place, then, the rest of them would be a breeze.” Then he paused. “But don’t be discouraged if you can’t control Damien. I’ve known him for four years now, and he’s still...ready to fight at the drop of a hat. But that’s probably because of how his mother raised him...though, that’s not my story to tell.” 

They fell into silence as they walked when Tim stopped in front of a set of simple, mahogany, doors, which he pushed open. 

As soon as he did, there was a cacophony of noise. Clearly, the room was soundproofed, which was why they couldn’t hear it through the door. Marinette and Adrien, standing on tippy-toes, craned around and peeked over Tim’s considerable height

A young girl and a young boy were arm wrestling, while two much older boys were shouting behind them, holding money in their hands like they were betting on the two kids. 

The arm wrestle itself seemed to be at a stalemate. Both the girl and the boy were using their all to try and beat the other, but they seemed to be equally matched, as far as strength. 

“Guys, has Bruce told you enough? No better on Cass and Demon Spawn in dares of strength. Remember the last time?”

The second oldest boy shot Tim with a sneer. “Shut-up Replacement, no one likes a snitch.” 

“Todd, don’t call Drake ‘Replacement’. As far as I’m concerned, you’re the replacement! Who was Rob -” 

But the eldest was cut off by Tim clearing his throat urgently and staring pointedly at him. “I should have known better than to leave you all alone, you’re a bunch of animals. But I guess if you don’t want to behave and meet our new sister and her boyfriend, that’s fine, we’ll just leave.” 

Suddenly, the youngest boy’s hand slammed against the table. 

“HA!” The girl shouted, leaping to her feet, grinning wildly while the younger boy held his face in his hands. 

The second eldest, Todd, turned to the arm wrestling pair with a shit-eating grin. He ruffled the boy’s hair. “Aw, don’t worry Demon Spawn, you’ll get her next time. Oi, Grayson, pay up.” 

Marinette quickly put faces to names. The youngest boy was Damien Wayne, the eldest was Richard ‘Dick’ Grayson, and the girl must have been Cassandra Cain. Which meant… Jason Todd? He was _alive_? Alive and _not lying comatose_ in a bed like was suspected? 

“Guess I’ll introduce our sister later then.” Tim said with a put-on sighed, making to close the dining room door when the three brothers protested. “Well then sit down and shut up. Try to make a good impression.” He cleared his throat again. “May I introduce to you, our new sister, Marinette Galin Dupain-Cheng and her boyfriend Adrien Agreste.” He stepped out of the way and revealed the pair to the others in the room.


	10. Sometimes, I Think I Should Give Up Writing. It's All Just Bullshit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I can't write, enjoy.

Chapter 10

Marinette resisted the urge to drop into a combat crouch the minute the others laid eyes on her and Adrien. There was something about the group of assembled youths that set Marinette on edge. It was something about the way they held themselves, the way Tim and Bruce held themselves. A quiet, deadly, confidence that not many people had. It reminded Marinette of her mother and her uncle Wang. 

That made Marinette come to a startling conclusion. 

These people could kill, and they knew how to. It was the only thing that made sense. Going by the dark smudges that still lingered around Dick’s eyes, like mostly wiped off, day after panda eyes, Jason’s scars, Cassandra’s vigilant eyes and Damien’s pose, as if reaching for his waist, to draw his sword (katanas?), these people were vigilantes. Probably the Bats and Birds. It all made sense, they had the resources and the funding that it would cost to develop such high tech gear, especially if their father _owned the goddamn company that produced said weapons_. How had no one else pieced it together? Marinette had put it together within seconds of seeing them. But then, how much of that could be put down to her Sight and her Ladybug senses? Jason was killed by the Joker, but because he was Bruce Wayne’s ward or because he used to be Robin, the Boy Wonder? That would make Dick Nightwing, Jason Red Hood, Tim Red Robin, Damien Robin and Cassandra Black Bat. And of course, that would mean...Bruce was Batman. Oh my stars, Bruce was Batman. Marinette’s father was Bruce Wayne, AKA Bat-fucking-Man. That, and they appeared blue in her Sight. Normal people didn't show up a colour in her vision. Red was enemies or killable targets. Gold was people of interest or potential targets. Blue were allies or cops. And these people were blue! They definitely weren't cops. 

And now they were all staring at her. Say something, damn it!

“Hello,” Marinette began, attempting to keep her tone calm, but friendly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” She gave a shallow bow, as her mother taught her. She was surprised to see Damien unconsciously bowing slightly back. Though, Tim did say Damien had been mostly raised by his mother…

“You don’t seem surprised to see me.” Jason said, his eyebrow raised. “As far as the public goes, they think I’m dead.”

Marinette gave a sight smile. “I’m a bit of a...conspiracy theorist. Mostly for fun, but I always thought if one man had the money to pay for the best doctors in the world, it would be Bruce. I thought you would likely still be alive. Though, alive and _walking_ was slightly more than I was expecting.”

Jason laughed. “I’m surprised more people don’t believe that theory, as it is entirely plausible. But the Joker, well. Generally, those he holds hostage don’t tend to survive. A lot of people considered me dead the moment I was taken.” 

Marinette smiled a bit warmer. “Well, I’m glad you survived.” 

Jason shrugged. “There is more to the story, but I think we’d need to talk to Bruce first before we could divulge it.” 

Dick sighed. “Well, that was depressing.” He clapped his hands together, attempting to snap everyone out of the slight gloom brought on by Jason’s question. “So, Marinette, how are you liking Gotham?” 

“It’s...chaotic.” Marinette said diplomatically, but a grin broke through her even expression. “Kind of reminds me of home, to be honest.” 

That made Dick raise his eyebrows. “Paris? Chaotic? I wouldn’t have thought that would be the case.” 

Marinette laughed lightly. “Have you been to Paris recently?” 

“No, but compared with Gotham?” Dick said doubtfully. “With people like Batman and the Joker…?”

“Hey, we have our own supervillains and heroes, thank you very much.” Adrien butted in with a Chat Noir-esque smirk. “Ladybug and Chat Noir protect our city from the supervillain, Hawkmoth.” 

The assembled Waynes’ frowned. 

“Hawkmoth? Never heard of him. Can’t be that bad.” Jason said dismissively. 

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Google the Ladyblog. There should be live footage of attacks. The harsher ones tend to engulf the entire city. Smaller ones only last an hour or so.” 

Tim, who seemed to always have a laptop on him, whipped it out of nowhere and placed it on the table. He pressed a button on the underside of the table and a giant flat screen lowered from the ceiling. 

“Cool!” Adrien exclaimed. “I gotta get me one of those.” 

Marinette laughed. “Coming from the guy who has a skateboard ramp and a court-standard basketball hoop in your bedroom.” 

Adrien shrugged. “My father tries to buy my love.” He said it so casually, but every other person in the room winced. “Now, which Akuma battle should we show?” 

“Stormy Weather?” Marinette asked as Tim connected his laptop to the large screen. 

Adrien grinned. “Oh yeah, that was a good one.” 

The Waynes’ looked at each other cautiously. How could this kid talk about these battles between heroes and villains so...normally? Like they happened everyday?

“I should give you some backstory. For the last two years, a villain going by the name Hawkmoth has been using enchanted butterflies to possess people though items they’re holding or things they’re wearing, who are feeling extreme negative emotions. This turns them into Akumas. He makes them give over to their feelings of anger, betrayal, humiliation, fear ect, and gives them temporary super powers. They can range anywhere from controlling the weather and freezing people, either with ice or _literal_ pause buttons, to mass mind control or trapping people in pocket dimensions. Sometimes, even messing with time itself. 

However, our heroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir, show up and stop the Akumas. They battle the Akuma and take the object that is being possessed. They break it, and the Akuma escapes and the person is no longer possessed. Then Ladybug uses her yo-yo to purify the Akuma of it’s dark magic, then uses her power ‘Miraculous Ladybug’ to reverse all damages caused by the Akuma. I’ve seen her Miraculous Cure bring people back from the dead. At least, those that were killed by Akuma. Ex-Akumas are victims just as much as the non-akumatised, so they don’t face any legal repercussions for being Akumatised.

Almost every single person in my class has been Akumatised, they call us the Akuma class because most of them happen to us. Though, Adrien and I haven’t been Akumatised. Well, I almost was twice, but someone else got them instead of me.

As far as we know, Hawkmoth is after Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculous. The things that allow them to have powers. Hawkmoth has the butterfly Miraculous.”

While Marinette had been explaining, the Waynes’ had been watching the Akuma fights that Alya had managed to record. 

“Why does he want their… Miraculous, did you say?” Dick asked, his eyes not leaving the screen.

“From what Ladybug has said, apparently, if you combine the Miraculous of Creation, Ladybug’s Miraculous, and the Miraculous of Destruction, Chat Noir’s Miraculous, then you can make a wish. It can be any wish you could ever think of, anything your heart desires. But there is a price. There must be balance. You could bring someone back to life, but then someone else would have to die in their place, that sort of thing. No one knows what Hawkmoth’s motivation is, why he wants to make a wish or what that wish could be. But whatever he wishes, the exchange could be catastrophic.” Adrien replied, his tone serious. “Hawkmoth keeps making Akumas in the hopes of defeating Ladybug and Chat Noir and taking their Miraculous to make his wish. He doesn’t know their true identities, so it’s not like he could break into their houses and steal them while they slept.”

There was silence after that revelation. Obviously they were considering the ramifications of whatever this Hawkmoth could unleash upon the world if he got his hands on the Miraculous. 

“Hmm,” Damien said, examining them. “Ladybug is an experienced martial artist. Chat Noir is a fencer. You can tell from the way he grips his baton. Though, in their more recent fights, you can tell that Ladybug has been training Chat Noir in private, his skill has improved greatly since this Stormy Weather girl. I wonder who trained Ladybug though? Her skills are almost reminiscent of the League of Assassins’. Though, the League would never turn hero. This is more something an Assassin Brotherhood member would do, nosy do-gooder murderers that they are. Revolutionaries and pathetically chivalrous optimists.” It was almost like Damien lacked the ability not to sneer as he spoke.

Marinette froze minutely at the mention of the Brotherhood, but forced her body to relax. If these people really were the famous vigilantes of Gotham, then they were excellent detectives. They might be able to pick up on her unconscious tells. 

Attempting to sound obtuse, “Um, firstly...Assassins? There are, uh, leagues for that kind of...thing? Secondly, do you think Ladybug might be an assassin?” 

Damien shrugged, an awkward and unfamiliar gesture for him. He was clearly not telling the whole truth, probably realising who he was talking to. These boys seemed to forget themselves easier, if Dick’s almost slip before was anything to go by. Damien turned his full attention on Marinette, seeming to study her. He took in her well-muscled arms, her posture. 

“You’re a martial artist yourself aren’t you, sister?” Damien said, despite already knowing the answer. 

Marinette nodded. “My mother taught me some. She’s a master with a bo staff. But I do help my papa in the bakery, lifting and shifting huge bags of flour. I noticed you checking out my guns.” She giggled slightly. 

Damien tilted his head, surveying her again. His eyes glanced briefly at the chopsticks in her hair. He smirked. “My mother had similar chopsticks that she wore in her hair. Tell me, sister, how many weapons are you carrying right now?” It caused Adrien to gasp and the others to look surprised, especially Tim. He wouldn’t have thought shy, sweet Marinette would be _packing_.

Marinette blinked. No point lying now, since her younger brother had her pegged. With a laugh, Marinette pulled her hidden knife chopsticks out of her hair, showing the sheaths and then reached behind her and pulled out her collapsible staff, eight and a half inches of rubber hidden under her jacket. She flicked her wrist extending a twenty-one inch long heavy steel baton with a pointed end under the handle and a hard rubber flap at the other. 

Dick let out a low whistle. “Now that is really cool!”

Marinette smiled brightly at him. “Thanks, it was made custom for me. My mother has one similar to this, though hers is a bit thicker and a tad heavier.” She picked her chopsticks back up, after Cassandra was finished examining them, and put them back in her hair. Dick had taken the baton from her and was appraising it as well. 

“And you train with this?” Dick asked, looking up at Marinette from his near reverent gaze on the baton. 

Dick handed the baton back and Marinette secured it under her jacket. “Oh yeah, my mother is really big on self-defense. Got a few scars here and there and some pulled muscles when she got a little _too_ enthusiastic,” Marinette said with a rich laugh, subconsciously playing with the cuff ring on her right hand. It made Damien curious about that finger. He’d read her medical file as well. Apparently she had a bad burn scar there. A weird place for a burn, especially as it was supposedly done accidentally. It made him suspicious, especially with how Marinette had stiffened at the mention of Assassin leagues. He subtly signed to Cass that she should find a way to remove the ring. Cass nodded imperceptibly. 

Cass took Marinette’s hands in hers and smiled gently. “It’s very nice to have a sister,” She said in her soft tone. “It was a bit of a boys club and I was feeling outnumbered.” Cass fiddled with Marinette’s fingers, looking down at their clasped hands. “Your rings are very pretty. Are any of them special?” 

“Oh, not really. Mostly just gifts from my parents. I have a burn scar on my finger, so my mother bought me this ring to cover it up.” Marinette replied with a soft smile. 

Cassandra’s eyes went wide, so innocent, like only a little girl can. She slowly rolled up her sleeve and showed off some of her scars. “My biological father wanted to train me too.” She said in a small voice. 

Marinette’s heart broke for the smaller girl. She immediately pulled the smaller girl into her arms and hugged her tightly, surprising Cass. 

When Marinette pulled away, Cassandra’s eyes were still wide, though a bit more genuinely. “Can I - can I see yours?” Cassandra asked in a small voice. 

Marinette dithered. It would be awful if she didn’t show her scar, after Cassandra had just shown her something so personal, but Marinette’s scar wasn’t just a burn, but a _brand_. A _secret_ brand that was supposed to stay a secret. Marinette sighed and angled her body away from the boys and slowly slid the ring off her finger to show only the girl. 

Cassandra did not visibly react when she saw the scar, no _brand_. Because that wasn’t just a burn from an accident. Someone had purposefully branded an oddly shaped ‘A’ on her new big sister’s finger. She would have to sketch it out for her brothers later. Cassandra didn’t recognise the symbol, but one of them might. Marinette quickly slipped the ring back on to cover it. She lifted her pointer finger to her lips, the universal symbol for ‘silent’. She wanted Cassandra to keep this to herself, but Cass didn’t think she could do that. 

Instead, Cass initiated the hug, winding her arms around Marinette’s waist and pulling the taller girl close. She whispered into Marinette’s stomach, “Are you in trouble?” 

Marinette stroked the girl’s head. “No. I’m safe.” 

The brothers looked to Adrien for an explanation, but Adrien was just as confused as the boys. He hadn’t known about the burn on Marinette’s finger, nor why it prompted Cass to ask if Marinette was okay. Could it be more than just a simple burn?

Before the brothers could question Marinette, Alfred poked his head into the room. 

“Master Bruce has arrived home, dinner will be served shortly. Go wash up.” 

“Yes Alfred,” The Wayne children chorused. Cass tugged on Marinette’s hand, prompting the girl to follow her little sister. Tim guided Adrien to follow him instead. 

Marinette kept up with Cass as the younger girl led them through the veritable maze that was Wayne manor to the girl’s personal suite. Her room was spartan-esque, only necessary furniture and nothing much else, but there was a desk with some photos around it, which added some life to the otherwise bare room. Cass led Marinette to her ensuite to wash up before dinner. 

By the time the two girls made it back to the dining room, everyone else was seated, even Bruce was already seated at the head of the table. There were only two spaces open, one beside Bruce and one next to Dick, who was seated at the opposite head. Cass practically skipped over and sat next to her brother, which meant Marinette was sitting at Bruce’s left hand. Damien was seated at Bruce’s right and next to him was Tim and then Cass. Opposite Cass was Jason. Adrien sat between Jason and Marinette. 

The entree, a soup of some kind, had already been served. 

“Marinette, Adrien,” Bruce began. “Thank you for coming to dinner.” 


	11. Family, Meet Daughter. Daughter, Meet Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I actually managed to post another chapter after my hyper fixation passed. Look at this! Personal growth. I love it. (Now if only I could stick to writing my actual novel, that would be great.)

(A/N “ _Speech in italics is usually the kids overtly speaking French in front of English speakers. When they’re just talking amongst themselves in class, you can assume they are speaking French, even if the speech is not italicised_.”)

Chapter 11

“So, why don’t we start with an ice-breaker. Everyone, say one fact about yourself before we go straight to interrogating Marinette about her life.” Bruce said with a slight smile. It was evident that he was really trying to make this work. “A please, not something Marinette could find easily in a google search.” 

Dick, since he was the oldest, began first. “Well, I really enjoy acrobatics. I was an acrobat for most of my life before Bruce took me in. I recently bought the circus that my parents and I performed in before they died. It’s mostly like Gotham’s answer to Cirque du Soleil. No animals or anything. Just people doing incredible stunts. I really enjoy looking after it.” 

Jason rolled his eyes at Dick’s story. He grunted, realising it was his turn. “Well, clearly, I am still alive. That won’t come up in a google search.” He crossed his arms, clearly not wanting to share more. 

Tim laughed at Jason’s lack-luster response. “I really enjoy solving puzzles. It’s why I like cracking codes and hacking into computers. I like to pull things apart to see how they fit back together.” 

“Nerd.” Jason sneered, resulting in Dick punching him not too gently in the arm. 

“No one made you talk, and we didn’t make fun of you for it. Don’t call Tim a nerd for actually doing what Bruce asked.” Dick scolded. 

Jason rolled his eyes again but didn’t say anything else. 

“You’re next, Damien.” Bruce prompted. 

Damien pursed his lips, setting them in a tight line while he decided what he wanted to say. “I want to test Marinette’s combat prowess before I tell her anything.” 

Bruce sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Just tell her something about yourself.” 

Damien shot a piercing look at his father before turning back to his half sister half-heartedly. “Very well. I like to draw.” 

Marinette smiled gently at him. “I like to draw too. I mostly design clothes and accessories, I’m very interested in fashion. What do you like to draw?” 

Damien tried to force himself not to be drawn in by Marinette’s genuine kindness, but he couldn’t help but be swayed slightly by her sweet smile. Damn his sister for being so cute. He was the ice prince for Lazarus’s sake! “Lots of things. Nature, where I grew up. That sort of thing.” 

Marinette decided not to push her luck and didn’t ask him for more personal questions, like where he grew up or about the rest of his family. 

Cass met Marinette’s gaze and smiled faintly. “I didn’t speak or read for the first ten years of my life. Bruce has helped me learn to speak and read since taking me in a few years ago.” 

Marinette’s heart melted even further toward the young girl, instinctually rising to her feet and walking around the table to pull the younger girl into a tight hug. 

“That is absolutely monstrous,” Marinette whispered in her ear. “You deserve a proper childhood, with a family who loves and respects you. Whatever happened to you, you didn’t deserve it, okay?” 

Cass wrapped her arms around Marinette for a moment to return the hug briefly, but just as tightly. “Thank you.” She whispered back. “I am happy now and safe.” 

Marinette smiled at the girl warmly before returning to her seat. She didn’t want to think about what the poor girl had gone through, how many more scars she had, how she managed to survive. She was just grateful that Cass was here now, safe with a family that cared about her. 

Once Marinette sat down, the group looked to Adrien, for his turn to share. “Uh, I’m a model, obviously, for my father’s company. But I’m actually much more interested in physics and mathematics. It’s funny, most parents would normally encourage that sort of interest, but my father insists on things that improve me outwardly, rather than inwardly. To that end, my extracurriculars include fencing, basketball, piano, MMA, and learning Mandarin.”

The two young superheroes both thought they recognised a glimmer of sympathy in the eyes of the assembled Waynes’, though it was quickly hidden behind expressions of polite interest in the faces of everyone except Jason, who always looked less than politely _dis_ interested. 

Alfred chose that moment to enter the dining room and swap everyone’s empty soup entree bowls for the plates that contained their meals. It seemed that they were all eating some sort of fancily prepared steak and vegetables covered in a brown, savoury gravy. He left as quickly as he had entered. 

Marinette smiled somewhat nervously, knowing it would be her turn to share shortly. She looked at Bruce. “I hope you weren’t serious about interrogation?” 

Bruce shook his head. “Not until after the dessert.” 

To Marinette, it felt more like stalling the inevitable than a welcome reprieve. Instead, she turned to her new siblings. “Well, thank you for sharing something about yourselves. You didn’t have to, and I really appreciate that you did.” 

Adrien held Marinette’s hand beneath the table in a comforting manner. He was so very proud of her, she was keeping it together so well, appearing to be every bit the superhero, even without the mask. While the Waynes’ were distracted by their meal, Adrien brought their clasped hand to his face, and kissed Marinette’s knuckles lightly, bringing a blush to her face. A throat clearing from Jason, who was sitting next to Marinette, had them springing apart, though not in a way that would bring too much attention to them. 

Dinner mostly passed in silence, the Waynes’ feeling comfortable enough with each other to sit in silence and Marinette and Adrien too awkward to try and start conversation on their own. 

It wasn’t until Alfred came back to clear the empty plates and bring fresh, cold water to the table, did conversation slowly pick back up. It was mostly amongst themselves, nothing like the big ice breaker that they had before. 

Marinette and Adrien spoke to each other in hushed French, an attempt to keep their conversation as private as possible, though Marinette had the sneaking suspicion that Bruce understood the language, so she tried to keep her voice as low as possible. 

“ _I can’t believe_ Le Papillon _hasn’t struck in the time we’ve been in Gotham._ ” Adrien said softly. 

“Mon Chaton _, you are bad luck incarnate. Don’t jinx us like that!_ ” Marinette said, her giggling tone belaying her stern expression. 

“ _What? Want me to knock on wood? That table is definitely mahogany, not just some laminate, it should ward off all the bad vibes. I didn’t think you were so superstitious,_ Princesse _?_ ” Adrien teased; his Chat Noir smirk prominent on his face.

Marinette rolled her eyes. “ _Please, you’re not in costume, you can’t call me_ Princesse _with your civilian face. You have to watch out for the nicknames. Someone might catch on._ ” 

“ _Like Alya, my Lady? You still call me_ Chaton _when you’re Marinette, as well as when you’re LB._ ” 

“ _Yeah, but_ I _started calling you_ Chaton _long before LB did. Alya still hasn’t caught onto Lila’s lies yet. I doubt she’ll think bumbling, clumsy Marinette is LB._ ” 

Even though them being overheard was minimal, Marinette still wanted to lessen the chance of it by not calling their superhero personas by their full names. If someone was only catching every few words, then the likelihood of being caught and exposed was smaller. 

Dessert was served shortly after, the look of it making even Marinette’s eyes widen. Perhaps Alfred had learned that Marinette’s parents ran a bakery that often made fancy desserts and wanted to impress her. Before each of them was presented a small Baked Alaska, presented in a ramekin that was bigger than Marinette’s fist. A small sample of elite American cuisine. Even the rest of the Waynes’ were surprised. 

“Wow, it seems Alfred is pulling out all the stops.” Dick remarked. 

“I think he’s trying to impress you, Marinette.” Tim supplied, eying his own plate. 

“Who told him my parents own a patisserie?” Marinette said in a teasing, albeit honoured tone. 

“I think Jason might have spilled the beans,” Tim said, smirking at his older brother. 

Jason shrugged. “What can I say, I wanted to see if Alfred would pick up his dessert game on Pixie Pop’s behalf.” 

Marinette blushed brightly. “Did-did you just call me ‘Pixie Pop’?” She stuttered out. 

Jason just shrugged again. “It suits you.” 

Adrien laughed. “He’s right, it fits you even better than _Princesse_.” Adrien said in a teasing tone. 

Marinette rolled her eyes. “I think both of those names would suit _Rose_ more than they would suit me.”

Adrien shrugged. “Would you prefer I called you Mari _Punaise_?” The way he was looking at her, it was like he had forgotten others were in the room.

“Thumbtack?” Bruce said, raising an eyebrow. 

Adrien tilted his head, pondering what Bruce had said. “Oh! I can see why you think that. No, _punaise_ has more than one meaning.” 

“Which is?” Bruce hedged. Adrien turned bright red, which thus made Marinette turn slightly red too. It made Bruce chuckle. “Okay, French pet name. We’ll just leave it at that, shall we?”

Adrien nodded his head faintly. “Uh, yes sir.” 

The rest of the Waynes’ had since dug into their Baked Alaskas’, leaving Marinette and Adrien lagging behind. Marinette wasn’t sure if she wanted to drag it out or hurry through to her impending interrogation. Marinette missed having the privacy to freak out with Tikki, but she felt like she had barely spoken to her Kwami beyond greetings and superficial ‘how are yous’ and ‘wish me lucks’. Once they got back to Paris, Marinette really needed to take the time and spend more time with Tikki. A hectic life was no excuse for neglecting a friend, especially not a friend as close as Tikki. 

Slowly but surely, dessert was finished and put aside. They were all drinking water to cleanse from the heavy dessert when Bruce suggested they move to a more comfortable room to talk more to Marinette about her life. 

With everyone in agreeance, they all followed Bruce down a hallway, around two corners, through a study, up a few flights of stairs until finally, they arrived in the observatory. 

Obviously, a lot of family get-togethers happened in this room. It looked like someone had permanently created a room that was just _designed_ for sleepovers. The room’s lighting was quite dim, but it was like stars were lighting up the whole room. It was as if someone had taken the magic sky from the Great Hall in _Harry Potter_ and put it in this observatory. Bruce explained some sort of science-y thing to explain the opening into the heavens, but Marinette was too awestruck to really pay attention to what he was saying. However, Adrien was, so he expected that he would explain it to her properly later.

Her eyes were glued to the ceiling. She had never seen so many stars in her life. She could see the entire milky way galaxy, as if she was looking up at a clear sky in the middle of nowhere. It was the most beautiful thing Marinette had ever seen. She felt her fingers twitch, wanting to sketch a design inspired by this _miraculous_ view. Marinette knew her memories wouldn’t do justice to being here in the moment, witnessing it with her own eyes. 

“Hello? Earth to Pixie Pop, come in please.” 

“Huh?” Marinette said, tearing her eyes away from the night sky above her. Her reaction caused her new family to chuckle. 

“I didn’t just bring you here to stare at the hologram, Marinette.” Bruce said in a warm, amused tone. “This is the place where we all come when we need to relax and get away. It brings a relaxation that not even an intense workout can create. We also have family time in this room, as you can probably tell by all the blankets and pillows strewn about. I thought it would be good to bring you and Adrien here because you’re both family now.” 

Marinette and Adrien were both extremely touched by Bruce’s words, by Dick and Tim’s encouraging smiles, Jason’s nicknames for them (though Adrien hadn’t heard his yet), Damien’s grudging acceptance and Cass’s kind expressions.

“Thank you,” Marinette said, her voice full of emotion. “This-this is better than I could have hoped for. I was worried that...that none of you would want to know me.” 

Jason snorted. “Please, Bruce has an adoption addiction to children with dark hair and blue eyes. Usually, anyway.” 

Bruce rolled his eyes. “Anyway, now that you’re family, we all want to know more about you, but you don’t have to answer every question we ask if you don’t feel comfortable. I said we’d take this at your own pace, so no pressure to answer everything we ask.”


	12. Bruce is a Good Dad™, and You Can Pry That Trope From My Cold, Dead Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so it's 1:04am, so if there are mistakes, remember, I wrote this instead of sleeping. Enjoy.
> 
> If you're interested, this was the playlist I was listening to as I wrote this: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0JHOaWgj9ayOtskhFtamwi?si=_c5R017DSaKYXMnzH9Y_IA

Chapter 12

Once everyone was sitting comfortably, either on soft looking couches or on cushions or on pallets that Dick and Tim pulled out of a closet nearby, they decided they would ask one question each, taking turns. Once everyone had asked a question, either that would be all for the night, or there would be another round of questions. While the questions were mostly for Marinette, Adrien was most welcome to answer some of the questions if they turned out to be more pertinent to him than to Marinette.

“What’s it like living in Paris?” Was Timothy’s innocent question, but it still made Marinette pause. 

“I really love living in Paris. It has always been home to me. It’s so rich in its history and so beautiful. I couldn’t imagine living full time in another city, not when I could be living in Paris. Not to mention, it is one of the fashion capitals of the world, outside Milan and New York. Before Hawkmoth, I couldn’t think of a more peaceful, idyllic city.” Marinette said. 

“How has Hawkmoth changed life for you in Paris?” Dick asked, his face showing some of his concern. 

Marinette took a deep breath, feeling Adrien’s arm around her gave her strength. “For most people, Hawkmoth hasn’t really affected their lives, at least, not for more than a few hours every three weeks or so. However, as a part of the ‘Akuma Class’, it usually means that there is at least a 60% chance that the akuma is someone I know. It makes it hard to… express intense emotion, when it feels like Hawkmoth is targeting our school. Most of the time, we have to force ourselves to not feel at all, to keep from being under his control.” 

“But you haven’t been akumatised, have you?” Dick asked, as a follow up. 

Marinette shook her head. “It has almost happened twice. But Ms Bustier took the first one for me, and the second time...well. He tried to take me, but I didn’t...I didn’t let him.” Marinette looked down at her hands, trying to will back the tears that were attempting to form at the memory of what caused her almost akumatisation. “He-he wanted to make me a villain named ‘Princess Justice’.” Marinette scoffed. “A bastardisation of Chat Noir’s nickname for me. You see, he tries to take whatever problem caused you to blow your top and ties it into your powers or your name.” 

“Why did you want justice?” Cass asked in a quiet voice. 

Adrien wrapped Marinette into a one-armed hug, rubbing his hand up and down her shoulder to comfort her. “You don’t have to answer Mari.” He murmured. 

“I might as well. They’ll find out soon enough. I might as well tell them.” Marinette closed her eyes, centering herself like she always did when in Paris and she needed to take control. “A girl in my class, Lila Rossi, got me expelled from school. She stole the answer sheet to a test and planted it in my bag, then she accused me of stealing her necklace and pushing her down the stairs. I never touched her. She just walked down the stairs, sat on the bottom step and started screaming.” 

The Waynes’ gasped. “Why would she do something like that?” 

“Well, when Lila first moved to our school from somewhere in Italy, she would tell these amazing stories. Stories that were too good to be true, some that I knew were blatantly false. I called her out on her bullshit, but no one believed me. 

Later, she tried to convince Adrien that she was a superhero, and that she was Ladybug’s best friend, while also negging her. Ladybug called her out on that too, but Lila was akumatised. She became Volpina and used powers similar to the Fox Miraculous, to create illusions. After Chat Noir and Ladybug defeated her, Lila dropped off the face of the planet for about three months. She said she was travelling around the world with her diplomat mother, but I doubt that. 

Anyway, when she came back to school, she caught me in the bathroom and she threatened to turn all my friends against me and take Adrien from me. She had been spreading rumours about me already, saying how I was only calling her a liar because I was jealous of her getting closer with Adrien. Lila getting me expelled was the culmination of that plan. I was going to become Princess Justice, which I assume means I could punish liars or something.” 

“What a bitch.” Jason said, his arms crossed, sneering. 

Adrien seethed. “She promises people things she can’t hope to deliver. Like getting Jagged Stone to perform at people’s birthdays, getting people in touch with leaders in certain industries. And on photoshoots, when she’s not clinging to me, digging her nails into my skin when I say something she doesn’t like, or trying to kiss me, she’s insisting she knows more than the camera person and all the stylists and designers. She says that Audrey Bourgeois noticed her for her fashion. Which is a bald-faced lie, because everyone present knows that's bullshit. And that’s not even the pinnacle of Lila’s ass-hat-ery.”

“There’s more?” Bruce said, his eyebrow raised. 

“We think she’s working with Hawkmoth.” Marinette said in a flat tone. 

“Really? Then why haven’t you brought her before the authorities?” Damien asked, frowning. 

Marinette grimaced. “Proof. We don’t have any. However, there was an event called ‘Hero’s Day’. We think she created an illusion of an Akumatised Ladybug killing Chat Noir, which led to a series of shitty events. Mayura, who is working with Hawkmoth, has similar powers to his. She gave him the ability to _mass_ akumatise people. Since the people of Paris were devastated by the apparent death of Chat Noir and Ladybug, their saviour, being akumatised, Hawkmoth was able to akumatise everyone who saw it happen. All those that had been akumatised before turned into the same villains they were during their original akumatisation. There was a list of all the people de-akumatised by Ladybug that day. Lila’s name wasn’t on it and she’s the only illusion based akuma that Hawkmoth has created. But it’s all circumstantial. Just like her bullying of me. She knows how to twist facts to suit her narrative.” 

Adrien spoke up then. “And getting Marinette expelled also seemed to be part of Hawkmoth’s plans, he was trying to recreate ‘Hero’s Day’. But how would he know what was happening if Lila hadn’t told him what she was going to do?” 

The Waynes’ looked at each other. Bruce was fighting the urge to take out his phone and sic his lawyers on this Rossi girl. 

“So, since you’re on this school trip, how did you get un-expelled?” Jason asked, curious despite himself. 

Marinette scoffed loudly, but Adrien answered for her. “I went to Lila and said I would fall in line with her lies and be her friend if she went to Principal Damocles and got Marinette un-expelled. She told Damocles that she has a ‘lying disease’ and Marinette was exonerated. The class doesn’t know about the ‘lying disease’. Lila changed her story and said she _thought_ Marinette pushed her, but said it was an accident instead. All the rest of it, they said Marinette was framed, but not by _who_.” 

Marinette rolled her eyes, allowing herself to feel truly bitter for the first time, as she couldn’t while she was in Paris. “Even if she was a pathological liar, what she did was premeditated. Pathological liars are spur of the moment. What she did took planning to do. She’s lying about being a pathological liar, the fucking snake.” 

Bruce swallowed, his anger growing. “This cannot stand. If she is truly helping this Hawkmoth, then she is not only a danger to you, Marinette, but to all of Paris. Why hasn’t Ladybug and Chat Noir asked for help from Batman or some other superhero? Surely they’d be able to help take down Hawkmoth?” 

Marinette sighed. “Can you imagine Ladybug trying to take down an Akumatised Superman? An Akumatised Wonder Woman? I have a lot of faith in Ladybug and Chat Noir, but they’re just kids. I doubt they would be able to handle a true superhero who knew what they were doing.” 

Bruce frowned. “I see your point. Well, I can help you with Rossi. My money has got to be good for something. Let me speak to my lawyers. You are a Wayne after all, _my daughter_ , I want to protect you if I can, even in this small way.”

Marinette and Adrien shared a glance. “Would you even be able to do that? I mean, there isn’t much proof, it’s more my word against hers, isn’t it?” 

Bruce shook his head. “My lawyers will get evidence, don’t worry about that.” 

“Yeah, and even if you want to keep your name out of it Marinette, Mr Wayne has plenty of cause to sue her for defamation himself. Ever since it was announced we were going to Gotham, she’s been going on and on about knowing the Waynes’ personally, working with them on charities. Hell, she’s even been saying that she’s dating Damien too, calling him ‘Dami-bear’ and saying how cute and sweet and romantic he is at breakfast every. single. fricking. day.” Adrien said, his face scrunched up in disgust. 

“It’s okay Sunshine, you can say ‘fucking’. Cass has a worse potty mouth than you.” Jason said, smirking. 

“Don’t let Alfred hear you say that.” Tim said, grinning. 

Marinette shuddered, still thinking about Lila. “She’s actually gross. She keeps trying to get Alya to make her switch rooms with Mylene, to make me miserable. Not that Mylene is awful or anything, she’s lovely, but Lila keeps trying to isolate me.” 

Damien’s eyes narrowed. “So, not only is my sister being bullies, this...girl is trying to insinuate that she is dating... me?”  
  
  


“Yeah, I know, right?” Jason jumped in. “Who would want to date your Demon Spawn ass?” 

“Jason.” Bruce said in a warning tone.

Marinette hesitated. “Could-could you maybe wait until we get back to Paris before you serve her with a lawsuit? I mean, she’s probably never been to Gotham before. I don’t like her, in fact I hate her, but I don’t want to ruin this trip for her. I don’t...I don’t want to sink to her level and humiliate her in front of everyone.” 

“Are you sure, Pixie Pop? It’ll give her a taste of her own medicine, maybe she’ll learn from it?” Jason said, raising an eyebrow. 

“Then she’ll just go running to Hawkmoth and then she’ll hurt other people.” Marinette said. “No one else needs to get hurt by her. She does that well enough at that _without_ being akumatised.” 

Bruce smiled at her warmly. “That is very mature of you, Marinette.” 

Marinette smiled back shyly. “Well, my whole generation in Paris has grown up a lot these past two years.” 

“Nevertheless, Miss Rossi cannot be allowed to continue to spread misinformation, false promises, or continually sexually assault Adrien. She will be slammed with so many lawsuits, she’ll be deported back to Italy, regardless of her diplomat mother.” Bruce said decisively. “However, I will obey your request that I wait until your class is back in Paris. I don’t want something like that to blemish your time here in Gotham.” 

Marinette couldn’t stop herself; she had launched herself to her feet, breaking from Adrien’s light grip and rushing over to Bruce, pulling him into a tight hug. “Thank you, dad.” She whispered in his ear.

Bruce was surprised but wrapped his arms around Marinette gently. “Of course, Marinette. I would do anything for you and your siblings.”


	13. Adrien Agreste Needs a Hug...And An Emancipation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, I'm going to protect our sunshine boy. Angst with happy ending...or beginning?

Chapter 13

Adrien was unusually quiet on the drive back to the hotel. It was starting to worry Marinette. She held his hand in a comforting manner. 

“ _ Hey,  _ Chaton, _ are you okay? _ ” Marinette asked, concern colouring her tone.

“ _ It’s just...something Mr Wayne said. _ ” Adrien said vaguely. 

“ _ He said a lot of things tonight. But I assume it was the comment on Lila’s treatment of you, am I right? _ ” 

“ _ Nail on the head, my Lady. I just never thought of it as...sexual assault before. I’m so used to people...touching me, even when I don’t really want them to. It’s just part of my life as a model. I’ve told her to stop, but she just doesn’t. At first, she tried to wave it off as a cultural thing, that Italians were just really physically affectionate. But then, when I told her to stop clinging to my arm, touching my chest...trying to kiss me, she’d just dig her nails into me so hard. Sometimes I’d bleed. Sometimes I’d just bruise. And after I made that deal to protect you, I was more afraid to call her out on it. Especially when she somehow has my father’s ear. If he really  _ is  _ Hawkmoth, then it makes sense, them colluding to make my life miserable. I wonder if she knows for sure that he’s Hawkmoth, or she’s just used to partnering with older, more powerful men for her own gain? Says a lot about her personality, and her potential future. _ ” Adrien said, his thoughts just tumbling out of his mouth. 

“ _ Oh,  _ mon Chaton _. I had no idea it was that bad. _ ” 

“ _I know he uses her to spy on me at school. It’s like he’s asking her to spy on me, and also_ using me _as incentive, like a piece of meat, to be her arm-candy, to keep her happy. Like, spending time with me is part of their little bargain. Why would he do something like that? Just use me like that? I mean, I’m already the face of his brand, his perfect, living mannequin, forced to do his bidding. What more does he want from me? I had to escape him and lie just to go to_ school _like a normal person._ ” 

It seemed that Adrien had finally realised that he could have his long awaited breakdown, now that they were in another country, far away from Hawkmoth and his traumatising akumas. A sob was already wracking its way through his body, Marinette pulled his body against her, until his head was practically in her lap. 

Alfred surveyed them through the rearview mirror, resolving to take a slightly longer route back to the hotel to give them this chance to recover. You see, Alfred’s French was perfect. When they stopped at a traffic light, he surreptitiously texted Master Bruce about the children’s suspicion that M. Agreste was Hawkmoth and Adrien’s treatment at his father’s hands. 

“ _ My poor  _ Chaton.  _ You are so much more than how the world treats you. You are so special, you really are like a ray of sunshine. Your father is an asshole, and you deserve a family that is warm and supportive, that  _ loves  _ you.”  _ Marinette murmured in his golden hair.

“ _ Y-you know, I haven’t seen my father in person for a few m-months now. I mean, I’ve s-seen him through that tablet screen that N-Nathalie carries around when he video calls. But I haven’t been in the s-same room with him for quite a l-long time. I had to b-book an appointment to see him, but he canceled on me, s-so I had to request a f-five minute slot for a video c-call instead. What k-kind of father won’t even talk to their k-kid in person, when they live in the same f-fucking house? _ ” Adrien cried, his hands clenching where they were pressed against the car seat. 

Marinette stroked his hair gently, carding her fingers through the soft locks. She knew there wasn’t much she could say, but she wanted him to know that she was there to support him. “ _ I love you,  _ Chaton _. And I will always be there by your side, always. _ ” 

“ _ I love you too, my Lady. I...I don’t know what I’d do without you. _ ” 

They fell silent for a few minutes, and Adrien’s sobs slowed until they subsided altogether. All the while, Marinette continued to stroke Adrien’s head, soothing him. If he had been in costume, he’d be purring. Adrien wasn’t sure if he wasn’t going to start anyway. Marinette’s slightly calloused fingers felt like heaven against his scalp. He felt like he might fall asleep, like he might finally  _ rest _ . 

But all too soon, Alfred pulled up at the hotel and was opening their door for them. 

“Thank you for the lift back, Alfred. And for giving Adrien and me more time to talk. I did notice that we were taking a more scenic way back than we did heading out.” 

Alfred smiled warmly back at Marinette. “Just doing my job, Miss. And I think Master Adrien needed the time. Anyway, you should probably get inside. It  _ is _ nearly your curfew, after all.” 

Marinette leaned over and kissed Alfred lightly on the cheek. “Thank you.” She whispered. 

“Of course, Miss. I have sworn to serve the Waynes’. That includes you.” 

With a wave and a handshake on Adrien’s part, the pair of teens made their way inside the hotel. Adrien kissed Marinette gently on the cheek once they were alone in the elevator, which made her blush a deep pink. 

“I love that blush,” Adrien said, reaching up and stroking her cheek. “It’s so cute, how flustered I make you, even now.” 

Marinette flushed. “I can’t help it. I know you’re my dorky cat, but you are rather dashing and sweet too. It still affects me. I feel so lucky, to get to be with you.” 

“Well, you are the incarnation of luck. It’s me that’s lucky, that a wonderful girl like you loves me back.” 

They stared into each other’s eyes, his hand lingering on her jaw, sliding slowly down to her neck. Her skin was so soft and smooth, he wanted to kiss it. His eyes flickered down to her lips, wondering if they would be just as soft. The rose petals that made up her lips made his heart race. He leaned in and she felt herself doing the same, her eyes fluttering closed. She could feel his warm breath on her face. He was so close, the microscopic hairs on her face began to stand on end. She wanted him to kiss her so badly, his hand had slid up to cup the back of her head. Just as their lips were about to touch….

DING!

The elevator doors slid open and the pair sprung apart to reveal an amused Alya.

“Ms Bustier sent me to wait for you in the lobby, but it seems that was unnecessary.” Alya said with a smirk. “You two looked like you were having a nice time.” 

Adrien and Marinette both blushed bright red. “Well, uh..um.” They stammered, making Alya laugh brightly. 

“Okay lovebirds, you’re off the hook, but we have to get back to our rooms for the night. Say goodnight, but don’t take too long. Marinette, I’ll see you in our room.” Alya said pointedly. Marinette knew that they would be having a long chat about her trip to Wayne Manor.

Once Alya had turned her back and headed back down the passage, Marinette looked back at Adrien and giggled softly. She pulled him close and kissed him lightly on his cheek. 

“Thank you for tonight. I don’t know if I could have done that without you. You’re literally so amazing.” Marinette said softly, her eyes gentle. 

He reached up and gently caressed her cheek again. “You’re amazing too Marinette. So amazing. I’m speechless, there are no words that could express my depth of feeling for you. You are all I want in this world.” 

Marinette felt her heart race and her face flush. Inside, she was screaming. Sure, he had said he loved her before, but this was different. “I have been in love with you for so long, you’re all that I want, all that I need. I want to be with you for as long as you’ll have me.” 

This time, they weren’t going to be interrupted. His hand migrated to the back of her head, pulling her close. Her eyes slowly closed and their lips, millimeters apart, finally touched. 

To the outside observer, it would have appeared to have been a simple, chaste peck on the lips, however, to the two teens, it was everything but. There were supernovas exploding behind Marinette’s closed eyes, her heart racing faster than during an akuma attack. Adrien’s lips were so warm and soft, her body felt cold and hot at the same time, tingling from the tips of her toes all the way up to where their lips met. It was like there was electricity coursing through them, Adrien’s larger hands cupping the back of her head as he pressed himself against her. Marinette felt herself moan softly, she wondered if she was brave enough to part her lips. But all too soon, Adrien was pulling away from her, making Marinette whine slightly in displeasure. He chuckled slightly at her disappointment. 

“We have to go back to our rooms.” Adrien said, his voice slightly breathless. 

Marinette collected herself, nodding vigorously. Her cheeks were bright red. “Uh, yes, now room go. I mean, yes. We should go.” 

Adrien laughed softly. “You’re so cute. I love you.” 

Marinette, despite her dazed embarrassment, smiled warmly. “I love you too, Adrien.” 

With one last, tight hug, the two parted ways and headed to their respective hotel rooms. 

Neither of them noticed the girl with a vicious look on her face, camera in hand.


	14. How Many Identity Reveals Will Marinette Be Going Through Today? *Spins Wheel of Fortune*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wait, they still haven't found out about MDC yet either

Chapter 14

Cass had finished sketching the image she had seen on Marinette’s finger before handing it off to Damien. He took one look at the picture before launching himself to his feet, calling out to Bruce. Once he had reached his father’s room, he knocked incessantly on his door. A few moments later, the door opened to reveal a rather disheveled looking Bruce Wayne, wearing a comfy v-neck t-shirt and grey sweats. 

“What is it, Damien?”

“Marinette is a member of the Assassin Brotherhood, otherwise known as the Hidden Ones.” 

Bruce blinked. “Excuse me?” 

Damien handed Bruce the picture that Cass had drawn. “This was the burn on Marinette’s finger, the one that she hides with a ring. It is the mark of an Assassin.” 

Bruce frowned. “The Assassin Brotherhood are political assassins, aren’t they? They’re vigilantes like Red Hood.”

“Yes and no,” Damien said. “They do kill those they consider to be hurting society and innocents. However, they have one sworn enemy. An enemy that has gone by many names, ‘The Order of Ancients’, ‘The Knights Templar’, ‘Freemasons’ or just ‘The Order’. They want order and control above all else. Generally at the expense of ordinary people. And the Assassins fight for freedom.” Damien sneered the word freedom.

“And what does all that have to do with Marinette? She doesn’t seem like the type to be  _ emotionally  _ able to kill someone.” 

“Assassins are usually raised by Assassin parents. Either Sabine Cheng or Tom Dupain, or perhaps both of them, are Assassins. I highly doubt someone as young as Marinette was recruited.” 

Bruce pondered. “Sabine does strike me as deadly. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if she was an Assassin. She’s definitely the type.” 

“Then she has most likely trained Marinette to follow in her footsteps.” Damien said. He was quiet for a moment. “Father, you need to stop sleeping with female asian assassins. I don’t want to find out about  _ another _ sibling that could kill us all in our sleep.”

That comment surprised a bark of laughter out of Bruce.

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Marinette awoke at about three in the morning, and was unable to fall back asleep. Deciding to get up and get dressed, knowing sleep wouldn’t find her, she considered going down and working out in the hotel gym, but it was probably closed at this time. 

“Tikki,” Marinette whispered in the darkness. 

“Yes Marinette?” Tikki asked, somewhere by Marinette’s ear. 

“Do you have a stealth version of the suit? I didn’t bring my own stealth suit with me.” Marinette whispered. 

“You know that the costume’s appearance is controlled by your perception. It will change if you want it to change.” Tikki whispered back. “Your suit now is quite simple because when you first transformed, you weren’t very interested in being a hero. So when you call for spots on, hold an image of what you want to look like in your mind.” 

“If I do that, will it be permanent?” Marinette asked. 

“You will be able to change it back, if that’s what you’re asking. You’ll just have to go through the same process to turn it back.” 

Marinette had often day-dreamed sketched a Brotherhood/Ladybug fusion costume. Closing her eyes tightly, Marinette crawled back into bed, and pulled the thick duvet over her head. She whispered “Tikki, spots on!” She did this to try and suppress the bright light that her transformation brought.

Getting up quietly and slipping into the bathroom, closing the door before turning on the light, Marinette gasped at seeing her idea come to life. The costume looked like it was in three pieces, despite it all being one connected piece. A tight turtle-neck jumpsuit that was sort of like a flight suit, but more tight fitting, and was completely black, with some straps around her thighs. The boot part of the suit came up to her knees and had dark red accents and had the vibe of being like spats, but red and black. 

The red itself was now far more muted than normal, and was only on the hood, sleeves, back and tails of the jacket part of her costume. The hood was pulled up, covering her forehead and coming out almost at a point. She still had her mask and there were still black polka dots on all of the red, but it was all much stealthier. Her gloves were also the same dark red, but without polka dots. Her thick belt still had her yo-yo attached to it, the weapon of choice for the Beetle Miraculous for centuries.

Marinette loved it, she felt deadly and sleek. She just wished she had her hidden blades to complete the look. Ah well, she wasn’t aiming to kill anyone that evening, or ever. 

She turned the light out and crept out of the bathroom and toward the window. After struggling with the window for a minute, she managed to get it open. Perching on the window sill for a moment, before unhooking her yo-yo. Keeping her eye on where she was going, she threw her yo-yo and swung out of the hotel room. She felt guilty about not telling Adrien that she was leaving, but she didn’t want to disturb the rest that he most definitely needed. 

And after the dinner and Adrien’s breakdown in the car, Marinette felt like she needed to get out and just run. Sure, Gotham was leaps and bounds more dangerous than Paris, but Marinette was leaps and bounds more dangerous than Ladybug, so it fit. 

Marinette was lucky that much of the architecture of Gotham was Gothic, as her yo-yo always had a gargoyle to latch onto and swing from. She loved feeling the air rush past her as she built up speed and momentum. She even liked swinging past the modern buildings, all sleek and straight lines, seeing her reflection in the glass of the windows. She felt powerful and in control as her body rose and fell far above the streets of Gotham. 

With as much fun as Marinette was having, losing herself in her flight, she didn’t realise she had a follower. 

Jason Todd AKA The Red Hood, was having a fairly uninteresting night. He had been keeping an eye on Pixie Pop’s hotel room window. But the evening dramatically changed in its interest levels as he saw a hooded figure  _ leap _ out of Pixie Pop’s window. Clearly, they were using some sort of rappelling gear, and were well used to it, as they swung with ease amongst the streets. 

Jason was struggling to keep up with the speed of which the figure was moving. He lost them amongst the sky scrapers. He nearly yelped when he watched the figure free fall for a dangerously long time before flinging out their rappelling gear and continuing to soar through the air. Jason had never seen someone do that before, and he was one of the children of Batman. It was like something out of a comic book, like some Spiderman shit. 

The figure finally stopped atop a pillar of the Gotham cathedral. They seemed to be just breathing in the night air before turning and leaping off, arms spread in a swan dive. Where the hell were they going to  _ land _ ? It was easily 100 feet! However, there was a hay bale below that they seemed to have landed in. What the fuck was a hay bale doing in the middle of Gotham? But Jason had no time to ponder the question, as the figure popped out of the bale nimbly and landed on their feet. 

Now that he was closer, he was able to make out the figure was distinctly female, but barely. However, if it wasn’t the subtle curves that gave it away, it would be the red with black polka dots that a man probably wouldn’t have worn by choice. 

Jason was a few metres away and was about to call out to the figure when there was a scream. The figure seemed to react instinctually. They turned toward the scream and ran, making Jason then run after the figure. 

Down an alley, a woman, most likely a prostitute, was being attacked by a man. Before Jason could even think to pull his gun, the figure had already begun a take down of the man, with their bare hands...well, gloved hands. The man was easily three times the size of the figure and they were kicking his ass. Something about the fight was familiar, especially the figure’s final punch, that downed the man instantly. 

The prostitute then began thanking the figure profusely, but the figure waved her off. Jason couldn’t hear what was being said exactly, but the prostitute had a hesitantly friendly smile on her face before turning and running off. 

He moved closer, slowly, every step like he was walking on eggshells. The figure leaned over the man’s body, getting his wallet out and checking his ID. Jason heard the figure scoff. 

“Of course, a fucking cop.” The figure said in a harsh accented, distinctly feminine voice. “Is everyone in Gotham a fucking monster?” 

“Only the ones in uniform.” Jason called out. 

The figure froze, and turned slowly towards him. He could see black hair spilling out from the hood and the lower half of a pale face. He couldn’t see her eyes, as the upper part of her face was shadowed. 

“Red Hood.” The woman said, her voice sounding...amused?

“I see my reputation proceeds me.” Jason said, smirking under his face mask. “And who are you?”

The woman’s mouth quirked into a small smile. “You can call me...Ladybird.” No need for people to find out  _ the _ Ladybug was in Gotham. A secret identity for her secret identity seemed to be needed. 

“Lady _ bird _ . Any relation to Lady _ bug _ ?” Jason asked. 

“I don’t know, Red Hood, any relation to Red Robin?” Ladybird snarked. 

Jason recoiled. “I am  _ nothing _ like Red Robin. And what were you doing in the Royal Gotham Hotel? I saw you sneaking out a suite window.” 

Ladybird’s mouth became a tight line. “You followed me.” She said it as a statement, not a question. 

“Someone under my protection is in that hotel, in the very room you left. What were you doing in that room?” 

Ladybird sighed, realising that she was caught. Fuck. She used to be better than that. But then, no one has ever staked out somewhere she lived before. She decided to just go with the truth. She had already figured out that it was Jason standing before her. “Look, Jason, don’t be mad.” 

Jason stared at her. “What. The. Fuck.” 

“Just… after having dinner with everyone and telling you all everything, it's been a big couple of days. I needed to get out. I appreciate you keeping an eye on me while I’m in Gotham, but it’s really not necessary.” 

Jason’s eyes widened in understanding, and shock. “You’ve been in Gotham three fucking days. Three fucking days. You’ve met us all  _ once _ . And you’ve already figured us all out. I don’t know whether to be fucking pissed or really fucking impressed.” 

Ladybird, no  _ Marinette _ , laughed lightly. “It wasn’t that hard to figure out. Not when I saw you altogether. And Dick needs to invest in better makeup remover. I saw the black smudges under his eyes.” 

Jason looked at her thunderstruck. “Surely you can’t of figured it out just from that!” 

Marinette’s head tilted to the side. “It wasn’t just that, it was a lot of little things, all added together that helped me figure out all the pieces.” She didn’t mention her Sight to him. She didn’t think he would understand. Hell, she didn’t think  _ Bruce _ would understand… though, if there was any non-Assassin to have the Sight, it  _ would _ be Bruce. 

“Well, you’re definitely his kid, then. Come on, Lady _ bird _ , you’re coming with me. You need to explain this to the Bat.” 

Marinette sighed. “Do I have to? I’ve been at this for two years now. I don’t need you to take me to B like some misbehaving child.” Well, she had technically been at this for much longer than that, but he didn’t have to know that. 

“You’re not in Paris anymore. You’re on the Bats turf. He’ll probably be awake anyway.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marinette’s stealth Ladybug costume is basically this:  
>  https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/6614730687951592/ 
> 
> Marinette’s brand/Cass’s drawing of it:  
> https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/155726099598343812/


	15. Mental Breakdown 2: Electric Bugaboo™

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is a Wayne, of course she has issues.

Chapter 15

Jason led Marinette over to where he had stashed his motorbike. He handed her a spare helmet, which she slipped on over her hood. As he started the bike, Marinette wrapped her arms around his waist. She had a feeling Jason liked to go fast and she was quickly proven correct. Marinette’s adrenalin kicked off as Jason zoomed through the streets of Gotham. 

All too soon, they were heading towards where the mansion was. But instead of turning off to follow the mountain pass up to the main gates, Jason kept driving. He made a sharp turn and Marinette was about to shout. It looked like he was going to drive them straight into the wall of the mountain. 

But it was just an illusion! 

Lights started to illuminate the hidden road, giving just enough light to cast shadows along the cave tunnel walls. Finally, the tunnel opened up into a large cave. The famous Bat Cave! Marinette felt the excitement running through her, despite the apprehension she felt at the oncoming scolding she was going to get from Bruce. The fangirl inside her was exploding at the idea of getting to be in the Bat Cave! Who hadn’t heard of the Batman, his Cave? He was so famous, even kids like her in France knew about him, the shadow that stalked Gotham, protecting it from human and inhuman monsters alike. 

Jason drove up onto a platform and skidded to a hard stop. 

Marinette hopped off the bike as Jason did, and pulled the helmet off too. Her hood was still in the same place and hadn’t been mussed from wearing the helmet. Magical suits, not many downsides. 

“Red Hood,” Came Batman’s commanding, gravelly tone. “Who have you brought into the Bat Cave?” 

“Calm down Bruce, she knows who we are.” Jason said, already defensive. 

“Did you _tell_ her?” Bruce, donned in his full costume. Marinette took him in. She understood why the criminals of Gotham were afraid of him. He was very intimidating, tall and heavily cloaked. 

“No, she figured it out.” Jason snapped back. 

Bruce turned his eyes on her. “And who are you?” 

“Tikki, spots off.” She whispered. Her costume fell in a flash of light, Tikki quickly hiding in her jacket, before they could spot her. “Hey, Bruce.” 

“Marinette!” Bruce gasped. He took in her suddenly costume free appearance. “H-how…?” 

“Magic.” Marinette said simply. She focused on her original costume and whispered ‘spots on’ once again. Bruce’s eyes widened when he took in her appearance. “I’ve been fighting Hawkmoth for two years, my partner and me.” 

“Alone? Since you were both thirteen?” Bruce asked, stepping towards her, he pulled the cowl from his head and Jason removed his red mask. 

She nodded. “Pretty much. I had a little bit of guidance from Master Fu for some time, but...Well, he lost his memories. He-he can’t help us anymore. It’s just me. And Chat.” 

Jason and Bruce exchanged a glance. “Do your parents know?” 

“My mother knows, though we have never explicitly talked about it. She...she thinks this is something I can cope with on my own.” 

“Are you an Assassin? Like Sabine?” Bruce questioned, surprising both Marinette and Jason. 

“Assassin? Pixie Pop?” Jason exclaimed. 

“Cass. She told you about my burn, my brand, didn’t she?” Marinette said, ignoring Jason. 

Bruce nodded. “She showed a drawing of it to Damien, who then showed it to me. Damien recognised it immediately.” 

That made Marinette raise an eyebrow. “He recognised it? A secret symbol of a secret society of political assassins?” 

Bruce looked a little sheepish, an odd look for Batman, even without the cowl. “I can’t tell you how. That’s his story to share, when he feels comfortable.” 

Marinette sighed. “Well, no, I’m not an Assassin.” 

“But your brand…?” Bruce objected. 

“Mother insisted that I train, that I fulfill my duty as a daughter of the old Bloodlines. I have the brand, I have the training. But I have never killed. I don’t want to. I think she’s very disappointed that I don’t want to follow in her footsteps, that I don’t want to kill ‘for the greater good’.” Marinette said, staring at her polka dotted feet. She quietly called for spots off, revealing her grief stricken face. “‘Your blood is not your own’. You have no idea how many times I’ve been told that, that I must become an Assassin because of all those that came before me, that I have to lose myself in the cause. Be indoctrinated and become what _they_ want me to be. I took the brand because it was tradition, because it’s what my mother wanted, that if I changed my mind, the Brotherhood would accept me without question. Not that my Sight doesn’t already elevate my position.” Marinette felt her eyes welling with tears. “My whole life, she’s shaped me to be this weapon, this killing machine, built for fighting and waring and rebellion. But not against her. And I hate it.” 

Marinette looked up at Bruce with blazing eyes. “I hate knowing how easily I could kill everybody in a room. I hate having tactics running through my mind all the time. I hate knowing how easily I could manipulate things, cause chaos. I hate how easily I could bring everything down to its knees. I just wanted to be a normal girl, designing clothes and living my own life. Becoming a superhero wasn’t on my list of things to be, but not just anyone could do it. I was Chosen. But I _can_ choose not to be what my mother wants me to be. And I _choose_ to keep helping people and saving Paris as the Guardian of the Miraculous. Don’t you dare say I can’t. You may be my father, but you can’t dictate to me who I should be any more than Mother.” 

Bruce and Jason stood staring at her, almost struck dumb by Marinette’s tirade. She didn’t realise the rest of the Waynes’ had joined them in time to hear it as well, she was feeling too emotional to register more than Bruce and Jason. She had never told anyone of how she felt towards her mother and this duty that she always placed upon Marinette, the suffocating and crushing expectation. Marinette already gave so much of herself up to be Ladybug, to be a hero and suffer the weight of all of Paris’s expectations to save them. Marinette had been training almost from birth for a future that she didn’t want, to be someone she didn’t want to be. 

Damien smirked at his sister. Clearly, they weren’t as different as he thought. They seemed to have had very similar upbringings. “So, for siblings who have never met before, we have a lot in common, sister.” 

Marinette’s eyes snapped up to her brother’s, his full of smug superiority, hers with righteous indignation. “Really?” She said derisively. “Your mother an Assassin, hellbent on making you just like her?” 

Damien laughed without humour. It was a haunting sound, mirthless and cold, almost cruel. “Yes. But worse. Far more worse than you can imagine.” 

Marinette felt a spike of spite shoot through her, but she pushed it down as much as she could. She kept her face carefully blank, the mask she wore when her mother was nagging about her future. “I pity you.” Her face was blank, but her words were venomous, it took Damien aback. He glared at her, but said nothing else. Marinette turned her gaze back to Bruce. “So, now that you’ve heard my story, are you going to pass judgement on me, like you’re famous for?” 

Bruce sighed and met Marinette’s hard eyes. “I won’t lie, I can’t say that I’m happy that you’re a superhero, fighting against a villain without an older mentor to watch over you. But while I _am_ your father, it is not my place to lecture you for or against this life, especially from a city so far removed from your own. I can only caution you and perhaps guide you. But I will never, _never_ tell you who you should be. And I would never force anything on you, that I can promise you.” 

Marinette gaped at him. Normally, as Ladybug, she always knew just what to say, how to react to a situation and find her way out of it. But here, now, before a parent that expected nothing from her, it brought her to her knees. Bruce moved toward her swiftly, shooting a glance back at his children, a nonverbal command for them to leave. He pulled his daughter into his arms and held her as she sobbed against his chest. 

“I’m so tired, Father. So, so tired.” 

“I know, Marinette. I can tell that you’ve been fighting for a long time.” 

“I know we cannot ask for help, that we must do this alone, but I am struggling with the pieces of who I am. The hero, the girl, the assassin.” 

Bruce stroked Marinette’s head. “I struggle with that too. Brucie Wayne, the Bat, the man. Which identity is truly my own and which is the mask?” 

Marinette pulled back, and met his eyes, cobalt blue looking into cobalt blue. “How do I do it? How do I fix it? How do I put them back together?” 

Bruce smiled softly. “You don’t. You coexist. These identities, they are just a part of who you are. You can’t put them in one box and force them to be the same. You will learn to balance them. It’s a part of growing up and being human. I know it’s difficult now, but it will get better. But if you are worried about your place, there is a home here for you, just as much as there is one in Paris.” 

Marinette, feeling her eyes well up with tears, pulled Bruce in for another tight hug. “Thank you.” 

They were silent for a moment, on their knees in the Bat Cave. Bruce rubbed a circle on Marinette’s back. “Come on kiddo. It’s late, I'll get Jason to drop you back at the hotel. Maybe as Red Hood and as you alter identity. It might be easier to sneak in that way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me I'm funny, I need the validation to create serotonin. My anti-depressants aren't cutting it. Also, it's 1am.


	16. Lila Reeeeeeeeally Stepped In It Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who has been reading this and interacting with the story! I hope you enjoy the direction this is going, I promise, only happy endings awaits. Just bear with me through the angst and possibly bad writing. As I post this, it is 12:32am, so any mistakes, blame on my insomnia and my inability to drink coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I know nothing about coffee, but I really enjoy the idea of Marinette just rolling up to class with this huge cup of coffee, with like a thousand shots of coffee in it and pouring a whole energy drink into it and turning to her friends and being like "sup' ready to get lit, kids? Aye Aye, captain!" and just downing the whole thing, to the frightened awe of the audience.

Chapter 16

Marinette called for spots on and transformed back into StealthBug as Bruce texted Jason to come back into the Bat Cave. Marinette was glad he put his hood right back on, obscuring his black hair that had a curious white streak at the front, embarrassed at her rant from before. She’d never really noticed the white before, which was odd for her. She usually always picked up on the smallest details. It just showed how overwhelmed Marinette was by everything, to not have noticed something so significant. She wasn’t going to ask him about it though. It wasn’t any of her business. 

Marinette hopped on the back of Jason’s bike in silence, accepting the spare helmet from him without a word. Jason took off abruptly and out of the cave at full speed. It made Marinette yelp, and wrap her arms tightly around her adoptive brother’s waist. 

Despite the speed they were going at, which should have had Marinette wide awake, she was suddenly hit with a wave of exhaustion. To be fair, it was coming up on 5:30am. She hopped she’d be able to sneak back into the hotel room without anyone being the wiser, especially since the city seemed to be waking up, though it was still very dark out. Perhaps she would go unnoticed. 

Jason skidded to a stop up the alleyway nearby the hotel. He waited for Marinette to pull off her helmet and dismount from the bike before speaking. “Look, Pixie Pop, I get it. B and I...our relationship has never been very solid. We just push each other’s buttons too much. But the overbearing, parental expectation? I understand. Just...let me give you my number and if you ever need to talk about...stuff, I’m here for you, okay?” 

They exchanged numbers quickly, but Marinette looked at him a bit sheepishly. “I really did explode a bit in the Bat Cave, didn’t I?” 

Jason laughed. “You’re hardly the first. But, I’m glad it happened here in Gotham, where you could actually talk it out instead of in Paris, where things could have gone south pretty quick. You’ve been holding too much, too deep, for too long. It was probably good for you. Besides, I really enjoyed the look on B’s face when you tore into him.” 

“He didn’t really deserve it.” Marinette said with a sigh. 

Jason scoffed. “Trust me, he deserved it.” 

“Well, maybe not from me. I’ve only met the man four times, I doubt he really earned my ire. I was just...projecting.” 

Jason smirked. “Maybe. But I also enjoyed how you put Demon Spawn in his place too.” 

“Shouldn’t you be nicer to your siblings, Jay?” 

Jason shrugged. “I’ve never been nice.” 

“You’re nice to me.” Marinette countered. 

“Yeah, but that’s only because you have a killer right hook. I don’t want to get on your bad side. I’m pretty sure you could beat the shit out of me if you really wanted to. You’ve earned my respect.” Jason said, not quite meeting her gaze.

“Wow, high praise from the infamous Red Hood.” 

“Well, don’t make me say it again.” He sneered, but then his expression softened. “Seriously though, day or night, you have my number.” 

Marinette felt affection overcome her previous embarrassment and she pulled Jason in for a warm hug. “Thank you. I’ve never had a brother before.” 

Jason blushed slightly, not that Marinette could see it through his mask. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t mention it to anyone. I’ve got a reputation to up keep. Now, don’t you have a hotel room to commit B&E?” 

Marinette giggled. “It’s not B&E if it’s  _ my  _ hotel room.”

“Semantics.” 

Marinette shook her head, but turned and jumped much higher than should have been possible and grabbed the fire-escape above her, before beginning to climb. Once she made it to her hotel room window, she waved down at Jason. As quietly as she could, she slipped back in through the window and called for spots off. 

Luckily for her, Alya was still asleep, snoring away under her covers. Not bothering to get undressed, Marinette simply collapsed on her bed and waited for sleep to take her. 

DING! DING! DING! DING! 

Fuck. 

6am. 

Fuck. This. 

Alya yawned loudly. “Good morning, Marinette! Did you sleep well? You’re already dressed!” 

Marinette groaned, a deep, guttural sound of eternal suffering. If anyone but Alya had heard it, they would have been perturbed. Alya just snorted with laughter as she pushed back her covers, grabbed her things for the day, and walked into the bathroom.

Marinette dragged herself out of bed, took her backpack and purse, and left the hotel room. Sure, she probably looked like a hot mess, but she didn’t nearly give enough of a shit to care at that present moment. Instead, she waited for the elevator to take her down to the breakfast buffet. Once there, she made a bee-line to the hot drinks table, where she got a  _ very _ tall mug and filled it with extra strong coffee. Then, she added three shots of espresso, and then destroyed it with milk, sugar, creamer and a good dollop of caramel additive. She’d probably have to buy an energy drink while out in the city, but honestly, she felt too exhausted to care about the museums that they were going to be visiting that day. 

She basically ignored the world around her, as her fellow classmates began to file into the dining room. Alya plopped beside her with her own steaming cup of joe, while Marinette was already up to her second. Of course, once Adrien came and sat beside her, she forced herself to be more present, especially when he wound his hand into hers. However, with Alya and Adrien, Lila was sure to follow. She sat down, with them, already spinning stories about the Waynes’ and about how excited she was to be able to catch up with them that day. She also mentioned how she already had a promise from Damien to dance with her all night during the ‘dinner’ at the end of the trip. This ‘dinner’ was beginning to sound more and more like one of the Waynes’ Galas than just a simple goodbye dinner. Before she could ponder that thought much longer, something Lila said really caught her attention. 

“And then MDC said he might come to the goodbye dinner to see me. You see, he’s in New York right now, doing some stuff for his label. I know I’m with Damien, but MDC...oh, he’s just so dreamy. And so, so talented. I hope he can make it, even though he’s busy. We’re really good friends, even if he does have a bit of a crush on me.” 

Marinette felt like she’d swallowed her tongue. It was almost funny, this particular lie. Almost more so than her lie about being Ladybug’s best friend. Her claiming to be Ladybug’s best friend was more worrying than amusing, since it was potentially dangerous. This? This was just hilarious. It made Marinette wonder just how stupid one person could possibly be. Going by the shocked look on Alya’s face, she was beginning to catch on to Lila’s lies. 

You see, Alya  _ knew _ Marinette was MDC. Alya had helped her, with the aid of Max, to set up the website and keep it untraceable. Marinette had wanted her label, at the moment, to be somewhat anonymous. She wanted to live paparazzi free while she was a teenager, so she could complete her schooling unhindered. Because MDC was gaining popularity, especially since the reclusive MDC had created designs for Jagged Stone, Clara Nightingale, Prince Ali of Achu and was rumoured to be working with Audrey Bourgeois on a new spring line. And that was just in Europe. Apparently, billionaire Bruce Wayne had ordered several bespoke suits to be made by MDC for the next Wayne Gala for himself and a few of his sons. 

Lila was using  _ this  _ new rumour to claim that she had introduced the Waynes’ to MDC and convinced them to partner for the Gala. Lila seemed to assume Alya’s shocked expression was out of awe, not out of disgust. 

Alya looked to Marinette, who shook her head slowly, silently pleading with the other girl not to say anything. Alya sent a pointed look back, which clearly said that they would be talking about this later, in the safety of their hotel room. 

Luckily, the group tour Lila was in had to go and get prepared for their early morning tour of Wayne Enterprises, so the girl flitted away from them towards the exit, completely unaware of the storm brewing in her absence. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Give me fuel, give me fire, give me that which I desire. COMMENTS! Validation is all that sustains me.


	17. Alya Is Self Aware Enough To Know She Fucked Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, a more Alya centric chapter, but Marinette towards the end. Are you ready for some Marinette being a badass motherfucker?
> 
> Also, the playlist I was listening to at 12:57am as I wrote and posted this: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3h4KO753YdGgWXdJ2SawNI?si=yQQEnwxfRpq0T_C9nBtv9w

Chapter 17

Marinette had been avoiding Alya most of the day, sticking to Adrien like glue. It hadn’t been difficult to avoid Alya, since the museum they were at, Gotham City Museum, was _huge_. There were so many shiny distractions and interesting exhibits, most sponsored by Wayne Enterprises (makes sense, since Bruce was the Treasurer of the Board of the museum), that it almost wasn’t obvious what Marinette was doing. 

But Alya knew. Nino had been trying to find out what had happened to make Alya so furious. She wouldn’t say anything. Eventually, Nino just gave up and tried to get Alya to pay attention to the exhibits, and was mildly successful. However, it was still at the forefront of Alya’s mind. If Lila had lied about MDC, what else had she lied about? Worse still, how could she have believed this girl over her best friend? Gods, she had said Marinette was _jealous_ ! Marinette, who was Jagged Stone’s honorary niece, a personal friend of Clara Nightingale and sort-of-girlfriend of Adrien Agreste! What did Marinette have to be jealous of again? The more and more Alya thought about it, the more her disgust grew. Of course Marinette would _know_ if Jagged Stone had a cat. Come to think of it, didn’t Jagged Stone have a _crocodile_ ? Marinette and Adrien went to dinner with the Waynes’ _last night_! And Lila didn’t say anything about it, not a single thing. And now she was lying about MDC? 

That made Alya wonder even more, about the other things Lila had said. Like that she was best friends with Ladybug. _Marinette_ had been able to get her an interview with Ladybug, Lila couldn’t even get a _message_ to her supposed best friend. And now all this nonsense about being with Damien Wayne? Because surely, if all her other promises and stories had been lies, why wouldn’t being in a relationship with the youngest male Wayne be a lie too? That made Alya remember what Mr Drake had said, that he hadn’t heard of a Lila Rossi. Surely, he would know the name of the girl dating his younger brother, especially if she’d grown so close to all of them after Jason Todd’s death?

Was _everything_ a lie? Alya could feel herself beginning to hyperventilate. Closing her eyes tightly, she practiced some breathing techniques to calm herself down. 

“Babe,” Nino said with concern, resting his hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?” 

Alya swallowed thickly. “No, but I can’t tell you what’s wrong until after I speak to Marinette, when we get back to the hotel.” 

Nino raised an eyebrow. “Did...did Marinette do something?

“No!” Alya exclaimed, momentarily annoyed by Nino’s assumption. “Gods, no! She hasn’t done anything wrong, absolutely nothing. But I need to talk to her about it first, because it concerns her most. Is that okay?” 

Nino shrugged, though the worry didn’t leave his eyes. “Yeah. Just let me know when you can talk about it. You nearly had a panic attack, and I hate seeing you like that, knowing I can’t help.”

Alya smiled warmly at him, momentarily forgetting her panic, grasping his hand in hers. “Oh Nino. You’re so sweet. You just being here is helping. You’re my rock, babe.” 

He brought their hands up to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. “I love you.” 

Alya pulled him to her, and kissed him on the cheek, lingering longer than what was proper. “I love you too.” She said when she pulled back, smiling tenderly at his slight blush. 

At about 1:30pm, they group met in the Viking Hall exhibit to eat lunch. Nino, Adrien, Marinette and Alya were somewhat tense as they went to a small cafe there to buy their lunch. They all purchased a selection of sandwiches to swap and share. Marinette was sitting close to Adrien, talking in soft tones, though Alya couldn’t hear exactly what they were talking about, which just made her more curious. Marinette briefly met Alya’s eyes, but quickly looked away, her cheeks flaming pink. Alya had had enough. They needed to talk _now_. Lila wasn’t there to interrupt them after all.

“Mari, could you come with me to the ladies?” Alya said, standing up abruptly.

Marinette nodded her assent, not really able to come up with an excuse not to, and got to her feet. They walked in silence as they followed the signs to the public loos. 

Once inside, Alya guided (pushed) Marinette over to the sinks and took a deep breath. “Look, Mari. I don’t even know how to say this, but… I’m so so sorry. For not believing you, for believing Lila, some girl I just met, over you, my best friend. I was so distracted by this new, shiny toy, who made me such wonderful promises and ignored your concerns. I let myself be convinced by a liar. I am so so sorry.” 

Marinette blinked before taking a deep breath. “I won’t say it didn’t hurt, how easily you believed her over me, that you would think I was capable of pushing Lila down stairs, of cheating and stealing. Like, Chloe bullied me for _years_ and I never did anything like that to _her_ , so why would I do it to this girl? No matter how jealous I supposedly was. And while I want to do nothing more than forgive you, I...can’t. Not...not yet. I need time before we can truly be friends like we were before.” 

“Girl, that is completely fair. I would almost be disappointed if you forgave me straight away. I need to make amends, to prove that I _deserve_ your forgiveness. I promise, I won’t doubt you ever again.” 

“Alya,” Marinette sighed. “I don’t want you to blindly follow my thoughts and have no choice but to believe me. I just want you to think twice next time someone spins wonderful tales, like Lila did. Or at least fact check. I know how much the Ladyblog means to you, but you never once tried to corroborate anything Lila said in her interviews with you.”

Alya was about to respond when the sound of gun fire, not far from the toilet door, sounded. This time, it was Marinette pushing Alya, all the way against the opposite wall. When the door opened, they’d be hidden by it. Marinette pulled Alya into a crouch beside her, keeping both of their heads down. 

Sure enough, moments later, the door was pushed open rather quickly. Neither girl could see who pushed it open, but after a few seconds, the door swung back shut. Marinette held her finger to her mouth, signalling silence. “Get into one of the stalls, away from the door, and lock the door. Keep your feet up on the toilet seat.” Marinette whispered. 

“What are you going to do?” Alya hissed. 

“I’m going to see if there’s a way out. We need to get help.” Marinette said in an urgent whisper. “Otherwise, we’re trapped in the toilets with no other escape, in case they come back.” 

Fear spread across Alya’s face. She bit her lip, but nodded. She turned and got into the second last stall and did as Marinette ordered. Normally, Alya would be the first to grab out her phone and start recording, but these people had guns. No Akumas, no Ladybug cure to save everyone. 

Once Alya was safely in the toilet cubicle, Marinette’s eyes lifted to the ceiling, looking for an air vent. 

This was an old building, so the air vents were quite large. She found it, over the top of the sinks. She clambered up onto the sink and pulled a knife chopstick out of her hair. Using the point of the blade, she unscrewed the vent cover. “Alya,” Marinette whispered. “I found a vent big enough for me to crawl through. Once I get out, I’ll get help.” 

“Okay,” Alya whispered back. She put her phone on silent, so no phone call or text would give her away with its notification sound. “I’ll try calling the police.” 

“Be safe.” Marinette called softly. 

“You too, Mari.” 

Marinette replaced her knife and reached up, grabbing onto the sides of the vent, and jumping slightly before pulling herself up and into the vent. She replaced the cover and moved away from it slightly. 

With a deep breath, Marinette closed her eyes and focused on her StealthBug form, and called for spots on. The light of her transformation flashed, temporarily lighting up the air vent. 

Ladybird activated her Sight, seeing only a few enemies in the distance. She was clearly out of range for her senses. Gingerly, she started to make her way forward. 

The Hall was very large, with almost cathedral level ceilings. She wouldn’t be able to get to the rafters from the air vents, but she’d get there another way. She needed to get a better view of where the terrorists(?) were. Given they were in a museum, they were most likely thieves, but in Gotham, you could never be sure. 

The vent she was in led out into the Hall, but behind the cafe, lower on the walls and out of the way. She wouldn’t be seen exiting. This part of the vent was gross, old oil and grease had been trapped here after years of being exposed to the grills of the cafe. This added lubrication had loosen the vent cover. Ladybird didn’t have to hit the vent very hard to get it open. After another quick scan, Ladybird dropped down to the ground silently, keeping low and out of sight. It was clear that the cafe workers had left quickly, some of the burners were still on, not having had the chance to turn them off. Ladybird peered over the counter briefly before activating her Sight to get a closer look. The hostages appeared green in her sight, the enemies bright red. Not that she was _planning_ on killing anyone, but things happen. Especially when one of the men threatened Rose with his automatic rifle to make her shut up. She was crying, and what normal teen girl wouldn’t be? Juleka was trying to quiet her girlfriend, to save her from being pistol whipped. It made anger begin to boil in Ladybird’s gut. 

Focusing with her Sight, the leader was pacing, a radio at his mouth. There was a guard at each exit to the Hall, there was one standing by the cafe who was looking bored, so seven in total in the Hall, including the leader. There were however many more scattered about in the rest of the museum. 

Ladybird couldn’t assume someone was coming to save them. So, instead of sitting back and waiting or attacking head on like Ladybug, Ladybird was going to rely on the training she’d been receiving since the cradle. 

Picking them off, one by one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Robin_Vol_2_9 The attack on the museum is based loosely on this. It’ll be Red Robin and Batman coming to save the students being held hostage...or will they?


	18. Ladybird Makes Her Public Debut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Google has told me that's how you spell debut, not matter how much my brain is like "that looKS WRONG!" But here we are.

Chapter 18

Despite her growing anger at the treatment of the hostages, Ladybird was still resolute that she was not going to _kill_ anyone. It just wasn’t in her to take someone’s life. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be maiming or seriously injuring these thugs. Hiding behind a counter, she whistled just loud enough to call the attention of the guard outside the cafe. He was tall, fat and stupid looking. Like if someone had given a cliche internet troll a semi-automatic.

The man startled, spinning quickly and readying his rifle. He stepped cautiously into the cafe, eyes scanning the small seating area before moving toward the kitchen, where Ladybird was waiting. As he moved closer, Ladybird manoeuvred herself, moving in a crouch backwards and around until she was behind the man. As he stepped into the pantry, Ladybird hit him very hard on the back of the head. She caught him as he went down, and laid him gently on the ground, so it wouldn’t cause a loud sound. Thank the Gods for super-strength. One down, six to go. She shoved his body into the pantry fully, removed his gun and locked him inside. 

Then lights in the Hall itself was quite dim, to fit the overall mood the exhibit was trying to convey. It was unlikely that one could see from one end of the Hall to other with complete clarity. Ladybird was going to use that to her advantage, for once she was truly going to work from the shadows to serve the light. 

Creeping slowly around the perimeter of the Hall, she reached the first of the entryway guards. This guard was fairly easy to take down, because this wasn’t a main entrance. Ladybird was nervous about taking down the guard at the main entrance, as it was well lit and exposed. Whatever. She’d cross that bridge when she came to it. Much like the guard in front of the cafe, Ladybird hit him hard on the back of the head, and dragged him out of sight around the corner and behind a statue. She took his rifle and put it in a nearby bin. 

Ladybird was grateful that the Hall was so long and that the entrances were so spread apart, it made it much easier to take down each of the entrance guards. Once all but the main entrance guards and the leader were taken out, Ladybird used small handholds in the stone walls to climb, slowly but surely, up to the rafters. 

The leader seemed to be growling angrily into his radio, clearly in contact with the police or a negotiator. Ladybird leaped across the beams until she was right above the leader of the thugs. There was another goon with him that Ladybird hadn’t noticed before, making the number of bad guys eight instead of the seven Ladybird counted before.

“You shouldn’t have played with me!” The leader snarled. His hair was jet black, greasy, like it needed a good wash. His skin was pale, but grizzled, with a scar across one eye. He looked mean and that he meant business. Before Ladybird could even react, he pulled a waitress out of the group of hostages and unloaded a bullet into her head, to the horror of the assembled witnesses. “Don’t cross me, or next time it will be a child. You know my demands. Fulfil them.” And then, out of anger, he threw the radio at the wall, causing it to smash on impact, making everyone jump. 

The waitress’s body was slumped on the ground, a pool of blood forming underneath her blonde head. Rose was sobbing silently into Juleka’s chest, who was staring, frozen at the dead woman; Mme Bustier had her arms wrapped around them, equally as shocked. Nathaniel, Max and Nino were huddled together, while Adrien was glaring at the leader furiously. He looked up at the ceiling briefly and froze. He _saw_ her. 

It looked like Ladybug, like _Marinette_ , but not. Her costume was very different than he was used to. But it was still red with black spots, Ladybug’s signature pattern. It had to be Marinette. A part of him relaxed, knowing that Marinette was going to save them. He had been feeling so angry and helpless. He couldn’t transform into Chat Noir because it would firstly give away his identity and then secondly, Hawkmoth would learn that Chat Noir and Ladybug weren’t in Paris any more. And that _couldn’t_ be allowed to happen. 

“Oi, Terry, Lou! Come clean this mess up!” The leader called out, in a thick British brogue. The guard from the main entrance and the one hanging around the leader, came over and picked the lady up. One grabbed her feet and the other her shoulders. With a grunt, the two men carried her out of the Hall, out the main entrance and disappeared out of sight. 

That left the leader alone, in front of the hostages. Ladybird took her chance. Using all her skill as an Assassin and Ladybug, Ladybird leapt from the rafter in a classic air assassination move, but instead of stabbing him with a hidden blade, Ladybird simply used her momentum to hit him hard, to knock him out. 

The hostages gasped at her sudden appearance, and Adrien withheld a cheer at his Lady coming to their rescue. 

“I’m Ladybird. I’m here to save you, you’re safe now.” Ladybird looked over the hostages, seeing if any of them were injured, still crouched over the leader’s unconscious body. She briefly met Adrien’s eyes, but she couldn’t linger. She couldn’t appear to be overly familiar with him. She looked at the cook for the cafe, knowing he’d have the information she was looking for. “Do you know any back ways out of the museum from here?” 

The cook blinked, seeming to be searching for his voice. “Uh, yeah,” He croaked. “There’s a service entrance/fire exit near the cafe, but I don’t know if they’ve got a guard on it.” 

That made Ladybird pause. That must have been what the guard outside the cafe was for. She thought it was odd that there had been a guard just standing there. “Don’t worry,” Ladybird said finally. “I’ve already taken out all of the guards in the immediate area. I’ll stick with you guys until I can get you to the police. There’s a girl in the women’s toilets, about your age, glasses, reddish hair and check shirt.” 

“Alya!” Nino exclaimed. “I’ll text her to come meet us by the cafe!” 

The other two guards still hadn’t come back, but Ladybird was still wary. But she was relieved when Alya met up with their group. She looked like she wanted to ask Ladybird questions, but Nino managed to convince her to focus on escaping and ask for an interview later. Ladybird instructed the hostages to keep crouched as they made their way to the fire exit. 

“Wait,” Alya whispered once they made it to the exit. “My friend, Marinette, was crawling through the air vents. Do you know if she got out?” 

“Yes,” Ladybird assured. “I saw her running to the police barricades when I was breaking in. She’s safe.” 

“Thank you, Ladybird. Though, I have to ask, any relation to Ladybug, the hero from Paris?” Alya questioned, her voice slipping into her reporter tone. 

Ladybird shook her head immediately. “No, I’m associated with Batman and Robin.” Which wasn’t a lie, but wasn’t really the truth either. 

Alya nodded, but Ladybird wasn’t sure if she believed her or not. 

Ladybird led them all out to the police which had set up a barricade. The police tried to get her to stay, but she avoided them easily and headed back toward the museum. Instead of going back inside, she went down an alleyway nearby and transformed back into Marinette. From there, she wandered back to where her group was. She plastered a look of relief on her features. “Thank the Gods you’re all safe!” She exclaimed, coming up on them. “I was so worried!” Marinette moved to Adrien and pulled him into a tight hug. Alya then joined in their hug, pulling Nino with her. 

After taking statements with the cops, which took about half an hour, there were shouts and yells coming from the museum. 

Apparently, Batman and Red Robin had done the clean up, as they had managed to capture the rest of the thugs throughout the museum. The two vigilantes had rounded them all up, including the ones Ladybird had dealt with, and left them on the front steps of the museum. Batman was gone as soon as he appeared, but Red Robin was still there, fielding questions from the reporters that had shown up. Alya was there in a flash, holding her phone up to capture the interview with Red Robin. 

“ _Excusez-moi,_ Alya of the Ladyblog. Red Robin, what do you have to say about Ladybird coming and rescuing the hostages? Is she a member of your group of vigilantes?” Alya said, pushing to the front of the gaggle of reporters. 

“Yes,” Red Robin confirmed. “Ladybird is one of us, but she’s not an active member. This was a once off for her, because Batman and I weren’t able to get here sooner.” And with that, Red Robin shot his repelling gun into the air and disappeared from view. 

With a wide grin, Alya made her way back to her group of friends, who were shaking their heads with amusement. “Always got to get the scoop.” Nino teased lightly. 

“Of course, I’m a reporter. And I was actually involved this time.” 

Rose was still very shaken, as was Juleka and Nathaniel. They were talking about leaving the trip and going back home. Mme Bustier was already getting her tablet out to organise their flights back to Paris. Which meant, after tomorrow, the two class groups would be merging into one. Mme Bustier considered ending the entire trip early, but was convinced by Nino and Adrien not to. However, Mme Bustier was hell bent on alerting the students’ parents and organising counselling for the children who had witnessed the murder once they returned to Paris. 

“Please, Mme Bustier, don’t tell my father what happened. He’ll make me go back to Paris and he might even pull me out of school. He already doesn’t like that I’m going to public school, he’ll use this as an excuse to homeschool me again.” Adrien pleaded. 

Mme Bustier’s expression softened. “I’m sorry Adrien, but this is the sort of incident that I have to report to your father. It will be worse if he hears it from elsewhere, and not from the school.” She turned and addressed the rest of the class. “We will be returning to the hotel for the remainder of the day. I think we all need some rest and time to process. The other group will be alerted to what has transpired once they return from their tour of Wayne Enterprises. Tomorrow, the students who will be remaining will have a free day, while the other group has their last tour of W.E. I will be contacting your parents when we return to the hotel.” 

They filed back into the bus and headed to the hotel. No one talked, and if they did, it was in hushed tones. Sombreness had begun to envelop the students and none of them felt up to conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos, comment, bookmark, subscribe, all that good stuff, if you want. I hope you're enjoying this story and where it's going.


	19. Nino and Alya Are Ready To Cut A Bitch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What it says on the tin

Chapter 19

Nino, Adrien, Alya and Marinette were sitting in the girl’s hotel room on the beds, in silence. None of them knew where to begin. 

Alya took a deep breath. “This morning, before all this madness at museum, I realised that Lila has been lying to us, about everything.” 

Nino gasped, though Adrien looked very unsurprised. “Dude? What do you mean she’s been lying?” 

“I know, I know. Like everyone else, I thought that it was just Marinette being jealous. But this morning, Lila was boasting about knowing the designer MDC, that  _ he _ was a close personal friend of hers.” 

Nino frowned. “Why would that prove she was lying? Lila knows a lot of famous people. Her knowing MDC isn’t out of the norm.” 

“Because  _ Marinette _ is MDC. Max and I helped her set up the website and I’ve been with Marinette when she’s received commissions.” Alya explained. 

Nino stared at her. “Wait. Dude. Marinette is MDC?  _ Oh _ ! MDC, Marinette Dupain-Cheng! How has no one put that together?” 

Marinette shrugged. “I’ve wanted to hide in plain sight, so I could avoid fame until after school. And it works, especially since MDC is completely anonymous. Though, when I eventually come out as MDC, it won’t seem like I was trying to hide anything, since MDC is my initials.” 

“So, Lila saying that she knew MDC and referred to him as a male was what tipped Alya off to the fact that she’s lying?” Nino said slowly. 

Marinette nodded. “It was the first real mistake Lila has made, that proved what she’s lying.” 

“I’m sorry dude, I should have believed you when you said she was lying.” Nino said, looking at Marinette repentantly. “I just had my head spun by all her promises. She said that she’d get me in contact with XY to help start my career. And then, Alya was so excited about her knowing Ladybug. I just...let myself be fooled, dude.” 

“Like I said to Alya, it really hurt that you all just believed that I would be jealous enough of Lila that I would be capable of bullying and hurting her. It still hurts, that you think I could do that to another person. I thought you all knew me better than that. I may forgive you, all of you, but...I can’t trust you. Not when you just believed the word of a girl you barely knew over me. I mean, I don’t expect blind faith from you either, but some benefit of the doubt would have been appreciated. But you all just...assumed the worst of me, without looking for any real proof.” 

Adrien pulled her to him, and kissed the top of her head. “I share some of the blame, I told you to take the high road, to treat her like a tabloid, that she would be found out soon enough. The last time she was called out on her lies, she was akumatised, I wanted to avoid that. I didn’t know what she was doing to you. I didn’t know she threatened you.” 

Nino and Alya gasped. “Lila  _ threatened _ you?” 

Marinette nodded, looking down at her hands. “After she came back, when she was gone for those months after her first akumatisation, she cornered me in the girls’ locker room. She said if I didn’t go along with her lies, then she would turn all my friends against me and make me suffer alone. That’s when she lied about her tinnitus, so she could send me to the back of the room, to isolate me. If she actually had bad hearing, I would have been fine to accommodate her. But she lied to isolate me and make me look awful. It hurt so much, because none of you even asked me, you just sent me back there.” Marinette could feel a sob building up in her chest.

“Oh Marinette,” Alya said softly, her eyes beginning to water. Nino didn’t look far behind.

“I nearly got akumatised because of her, because of her bullying. I’ve just been so...tired. But I...I couldn’t let it happen. It would be like she won, that she got to me.” Marinette said, taking an unsteady breath. Adrien’s arm around her grew tighter. He knew the stakes had been much higher than just letting Lila win. Their only hope, Ladybug, would have been unable to save the day. 

Alya’s tears spilled over her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Mari. I’ve really let you down.” 

Marinette took a breath to calm herself. “Yes, you have. You all have. But I’m not angry. You were all manipulated, and in my fervour to  _ show _ you how you were being manipulated, I played into Lila’s hands. We’re all at fault, but none more than Lila.” 

Alya’s expression suddenly turned furious. “That fucking bitch. I’m gonna kill her.” 

“No.” Nino said quietly. “If we kill her, she won’t learn anything.” 

They all stared at Nino, hearing his deadly quiet tone. “What are you saying, Nino?” 

He looked up at them. “What I’m saying is that we should give her a taste of her own medicine.” 

Marinette and Adrien looked at each other. “We can’t get revenge on Lila. We’ve already got something in the works.”

“Really? What’s your plan?” Alya asked eagerly.

“There’s...there’s something else I need to tell you.” Marinette said hesitantly. 

“What? You and Adrien are secretly Hawkmoth and Mayura?” Alya joked, trying to lighten the suddenly serious mood.

“This was a secret I was planning to take to my grave. I never wanted  _ anyone _ to know this. But, then the school trip got switched to Gotham and the cat got let out of the bag.” 

Alya frowned, suddenly worried. “What are you talking about?” 

“You know how Papa isn’t my biological father?” Marinette began. 

“Yeaaaah…?” Alya and Nino chorused. 

“My father, my  _ real _ father...is Bruce Wayne.” Not giving the pair a chance to react, Marinette plowed on. “And I told him everything. I kind of had a breakdown. He-he offered to do what he could to make Lila pay for what she has done, especially since she’s not only spreading lies about me, but also the rest of the Wayne family. But I made him promise to wait until we got back to Paris. She hasn’t really done anything to me here in Gotham, and I don’t want to sink to her level, and ruin the trip for her.” 

“But Marinette! She’s got the whole class believing that you hate her because you’re jealous of her. She’s been spreading rumours about you! And you would still let her have a nice trip?” Alya cried in disbelief. 

Marinette nodded. “She’ll get her comeuppance soon. But I’m not going to humiliate her in front of everyone, have her sent home early. As much as I would love her to feel the betrayal and mortification she has made me feel, I’m not gonna do what she would do. I’m not that person, the person she tried to make me appear.” 

Nino and Alya looked at each other, guilt plastered on their features. “If that’s what you want to do, dude.” But their expressions still conveyed their fury. 

“Please, you guys have to pretend you don’t know any of this. You can’t give her any hint that you don’t believe her. If she gets tipped off, then she might figure out a way to get out of it, or even turn the rest of the class against you.” Marinette said, pleading. “I don’t want you guys to get treated like me. It’s bad enough that Adrien has to be her friend to keep her off my back, without her picking on you too.” 

“What to do you mean, ‘Adrien has to be her friend’?” Nino asked sharply. 

“When Lila tried to get me expelled, Adrien promised to be her friend and go along with what she said, if she’d get me  _ un _ expelled. She went to Damocles and said she had a ‘lying disease’ and she couldn’t help but lie about this. They let her off the hook and I was unexpelled.” 

“That’s coercion! That devious snake!” Alya shouted. 

“Please, Alya, calm down. She’s going to be sued for her lies. She will be punished for this, but we can’t lose our heads.” Marinette begged. “I’m just glad this all came out here in Gotham rather than in Paris. You both would have been easy Akuma targets.” 

Alya laughed bitterly. “Lila deserves to get her ass kicked by an Akuma.” 

“Alyaaaaaa.” Marinette whined. 

“Okay, okay, okay.” Alya said. “I’ll behave.” 


	20. Self-Care Is Important

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our favourite quartet takes some time to heal from the Museum Incident™

Chapter 20

That night at dinner, at first, it seemed like Lila didn’t read the room. Most of the class was feeling somewhat disheartened by what had occurred at the museum, but Lila didn’t seem to get the hint. She just went on and on about her time at Wayne Enterprises. When someone, Marinette thought most likely Mylene, told her what had happened, Lila grew quiet. She then made up a story of being in a similar situation in Africa, in the Dominican Republic, which earned a sympathetic look from Ivan and Mylene. 

Alya leaned over to Marinette. “Isn’t the Dominican Republic an island near Cuba?” 

Marinette giggled. “No one tell her.” 

Though, Alix seemed to have caught on, and was frowning in confusion at Lila, though she didn’t say anything. Chloe, who had been growing increasingly isolated since Sabrina became one of Lila’s rabid followers, simply rolled her eyes at Lila’s tall tales. Marinette wondered if she could find an ally in Chloe, since she obviously missed Sabrina and hated the way Lila draped herself over Adrien when he wasn’t with Marinette.

Alya seemed to have resolved to whisper bitchy things about Lila in Marinette’s ear instead of verbalising them to Lila herself. It was her way to cope, an outlet for the frustration, and pretend that things were the same as they were before. Marinette just hoped no one overheard Alya’s harsh, giggled words. They would probably get the wrong idea, like Marinette had corrupted Alya or something. At least, if it got back to Lila that Alya was no longer her sycophant, she would twist it and blame it on Marinette. 

So, apparent from that, dinner had been a quiet affair. Due to the time change, it was decided that the calls to the families of the students would be made after dinner, at 1am by Mme Bustier, since Marinette’s group weren’t doing any activities that day. Other than Rose, Juleka and Nathaniel getting a flight back to Paris, the rest of the now very small group would be hanging around the hotel to recuperate. It would allow the other group, led by M D'Argencourt, to finish the second half of their tour of Wayne Enterprises. Max elected to go with the other group, as he was closer to Alix and Kim. He felt better being with them, instead of hanging around the hotel. Not that Alya, Marinette, Nino and Adrien would exclude him, but he felt a bit like a fifth wheel. 

Originally, Mme Mendeleiev was supposed to lead the other group, but that was when they were going to New York. However, when it changed to Gotham, Mme Mendeleiev had to step down from the position, as she was barred from entering Gotham. There was a story there, but none of the students were privy to that, much to their frustratingly curious chagrin. It hadn’t even turned up in a google search, which led to theories being flung back and forth through the school. Anyone who asked Mme Mendeleiev was instantly given detention and the subject was brutally killed by Principal Damocles. No one dared ask after that. 

That night, Marinette and Alya pushed their beds together and held hands until they fell asleep. That day had been really traumatic and frightening, and it didn’t really hit the girls until they turned off the light to go to sleep. Alya woke up in the night from a nightmare, and Marinette pulled Alya into a tight hug and held her until she calmed down. Marinette, who was used to such high stress situations, ended up spooning Alya so she could sleep through the night. Not that Marinette minded at all, she would do anything to help her best friend through her trauma from the day. 

The next day, Marinette was worried that Alya was more affected than she let on. She hoped she could keep Alya distracted, and keep that anxiety from creeping in. Luckily, the hotel had a vast number of amenities, from a pool, to a gym, a sauna, and a spa. The spa was both a literal spa and a general pampering. Marinette and Alya had immediately signed up for the spa day, as did Adrien and Nino. The boys were particularly excited to go to the spa day, which amused and pleased the girls to no end. Nino and Adrien were great that day, they admitted to doing something very similar to Alya and Marinette last night as well to help sleep, and they all agreed that a day of being pampered would help them relax. 

The four of them looked very cute, sitting in a row in their swimmers, wearing fluffy white robes and matching slippers, with green paste face masks on their skin and cucumber slices on their eyes. They took a selfie together with their green face masks, giggling all the while. It was easy to forget about the past few days, with the four of them having such a lovely time in the spa. They each got massages as well, and Marinette tried to force the blush from her face as she took in Adrien’s bare, highly muscled chest and abdomen as he disrobed and got on the massage bed. Out of the four of them, Alya was the most uh, vocal, while getting her massage, which pinked Nino’s cheeks, and made Marinette and Adrien giggle at him. 

Getting in the water of the spa was equally as wonderful, as Marinette snuggled up to Adrien under the warm, bubbling water, Alya doing much the same with Nino. There, in that safe space, the four of them attempted to decompress and talk about how the previous day had made them feel. 

Adrien and Nino, who had seen the woman be killed in front of them (though, Nino and Alya didn’t know Marinette had witnessed it too), had the hardest time talking about it. 

“At first, I was just really angry. Rose was crying, and he just kept shouting at her to shut up. To be honest, I’m surprised they didn’t make our whole group go back to Paris, not just those that asked. I wanted...I wanted to kill the guy, for the terror he and his men were causing, and then...then he killed that woman and… well. It was...very hard to watch. It wasn’t like in Paris, when someone gets hit by an Akuma. Even if they’re hurt, Ladybug just releases her cure, and everything is fine again afterwards. This was different. Knowing that this person was dead. There was no Miraculous cure to bring them back, you know?” Adrien said softly, staring without seeing at the bubbles of the spa. 

Nino nodded. “Exactly. I’ve never seen anything like that before. I’ve....I’ve never seen anyone die before, like, for real. I mean, what happens in movies and tv, it’s not the same.”

“I’m so sorry you had to see that. I wonder if I had called 911 faster or if I hadn’t pulled Marinette and I into the bathroom, it could have been me or her, if the guy was just looking to shoot a chick. And I was so scared, for you and Adrien, knowing you both were out there, with a mad man with a gun. If it hadn’t been for Mari pushing us behind the door, we would have been caught and maybe killed. And then Marinette, you were so brave, crawling into the air vent to get help.” Alya said, holding Nino to her, tighter. 

Marinette swallowed thickly. “I don’t think I’ve ever been that terrified before in my life. I knew you would be safe Alya, if you stayed hidden, but the rest of our group were out there. I didn’t know if they’d killed everyone or if anyone had been hurt. I just knew I needed to get out and find someone to help. I made a wrong turn in the vent and it led me out to the Hall. I-I saw them, all the guards, everyone. I tried to remember how many guards there were, so when I made it out to the cops, I could tell them what I saw. Seeing that many men with guns, I was so afraid. So scared someone I cared about was...was going to be murdered.” 

They all were crying a little bit as they shared their stories. It just made them hold onto each other tighter. 

“I feel so bad for that woman, and her family. I know, living in Gotham comes with some danger, but she wasn’t doing anything wrong. She was just living her life, working in a cafe and then she was murdered, as an example. For no reason. She didn’t deserve to die just to prove a point.” Adrien said, wiping a tear away from his cheek. 

“Is it bad that I feel relieved, that it wasn’t me? Or that it wasn’t anyone from our class?” Nino asked softly.

Marinette shook her head. “No, that’s human, Nino. Don’t feel guilty for surviving, for being relieved that you’re alive. It’s not like you’re glad someone is dead.” 

Nino nodded slowly. “No, I wish no one had died. But I’m still relieved that it wasn’t me, or my friends. And I feel bad that I feel relieved.” 

“That’s called Survivor’s Guilt. It’s okay, Nino. There’s nothing wrong with that. We all went through something very traumatic. We all feel a little relieved that it wasn’t one of us, and that’s okay. We’re still sad that woman is dead though. We’re going to get through this.” Adrien said, smiling gently at his best friend. 

“Thanks, dude.”


	21. Chloe Is Smart And I Love Her. She Deserves Redemption. End Of Story.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Chapter 21

After their one day of reprieve while the other group finished their tour of Wayne Enterprises, the two groups merged. Chloe was starting to gravitate towards Adrien, but instead of being flat out rude or mean to Alya, Nino and Marinette, she mostly just ignored them. For Chloe, that was as good as a warm, welcoming hug. 

The next few days were spent exploring art galleries, from ancient statues and mosaics, to Renaissance, to Enlightenment, to modern and postmodern and Pop Art. The modern statue installation was particularly amusing, as Kim and Alix kept trying to impersonate the more humanoid ones. Alya was constantly taking video of the art for the Ladyblog, especially when there was an ancient sculpture of what appeared to be a Ladybug and Chat Noir among some pieces from ancient Greece. 

Even Chloe was slowly loosening up, when Marinette and the others went out of their way to include her. Obviously, she wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine, she was still very cold, but her insults were less harsh and her humour was less vicious, more dry and witty. It was almost pleasant. 

“So Cesaire, you finally figured out that Lila is a lying bitch?” Chloe said, her tone condescending. But she almost seemed relieved.

Alya sighed. “Yes Chloe, you and Marinette were right. Lila was lying the whole time and took us all for fools.” 

Chloe smirked. “Glad you finally came to your senses. You  _ do _ realise that Dupain-Cheng has Jagged Stone on speed-dial and that he keeps a permanent residence next to my suite at Daddy’s hotel, right? Surely, if you had asked us, you would have known Jagged Stone has never owned a cat.”

That had surprised a peel of laughter out of Marinette. Alya wasn’t sure, but she could have sworn she saw Chloe’s expression of smug superiority softened for a moment. Alya met Adrien’s gaze, noticing his expression was encouraging and warm, as if Chloe had just admitted to wanting to be Marinette’s best friend.

Of course, all the while, Lila flitted about all the cliques that were forming in their combined group. 

When she interacted with Marinette’s small group, when others were watching, she often put on her most sheepish, innocent expression. “Oh, Marinette, I know you don’t like me very much, but I would really like for the two of us to be friends. Especially since Adrien...well, nevermind.” And then she would smile sweetly and walk off. 

Each time Lila alluded to Marinette being the reason they weren’t ‘friends’, Alya’s hands would clench, and her smile would become a little fixed. Especially when she had to say her usual lines of, “Yeah, Marinette, it would be  _ great _ if you and Lila could be friends!” She tried to keep her teeth unclenched as she said the words, so it wouldn’t seem like she would rather swallow her own tongue than actually say these words. Nino would slide his hand into her tense one after each of these interactions. Adrien would stay impassive, but Alya spied him gently caressing Marinette’s elbow, a silent sign of support.

“How could I have not noticed all those...those subtle jabs that she would make about you. It is almost like subliminal messaging or something.” Alya said, her tone frustrated as her eyes followed Lila around as she walked to each small group and said her spiel. 

Marinette sighed. “You’re not meant to pick it up, that’s the point. It’s like brainwashing.” 

Alya shivered. “She could use that gift to do so much good, of charming people and changing minds for positive progress, but all she does is play games with people’s feelings and lives.”

“Dudes, do you think she’s a sociopath?” Nino questioned, watching Lila garner sympathy, going by Lila’s ‘wet’ eyes, for some situation or another. 

“Oh, most definitely,” Chloe piped up. “The reality of Lila’s malice becomes darker when we consider that females are socialized by our society to be covertly aggressive, subtly bitchy instead of overtly, where she could be called out on it. As a result, female sociopaths are more likely to bully others through underhanded methods such as relational aggression abuse through the sabotage of someone’s social relationships and reputation – all while mastering the guise of a sweet exterior. Exactly what she was doing to Mar-uh, Dupain-Cheng.”

The four all stared at her with varying degrees of shock and awe. 

“What?” Chloe said, her cheeks very faintly pinking. “I’m really interested in psychology. That, and you’ve all met my mother.” 

“True, very true.” The others agreed. Though, Chloe didn’t seem quite as confident as she was moments before.

Adrien pulled Chloe aside. “You’re not a sociopath, Chloe. I know you’re comparing yourself to Lila. But you two are very different. She’s doing this because she thinks its fun, she enjoys stepping on people. You act like you’re so superior because you think it’s how you’re supposed to be. It’s not true. That’s what your mother wants. But she’s...awful.” 

Chloe scoffed. “Please, tell me something I don’t know, Adrien.” Her face was stony, but her eyes were warm. 

Adrien chuckled softly, pulling her into a brief, but tight hug, which made her cheeks pink a little bit more than before. 

Marinette smiled warmly at the two blondes, not feeling even the slightest twinge of jealousy. These two children had been raised so isolated and so differently from normal kids. For the longest time, all they had was each other. She knew they only loved each other like siblings, despite all of Chloe’s posturing. But then, Chloe’s idea of romantic love might be very different from that of normal people. Her parent’s relationship was  _ far _ from loving. Maybe she thought what she had with Adrien was enough for them to get married, if her parent’s marriage was her only example. Though, whatever Chloe’s feelings may be, Marinette knew Adrien only had eyes for her, not Chloe. 

Marinette did notice Lila glaring at their small group when she didn’t think anyone would notice. But unfortunately, for Lila anyway, someone did notice. Sabrina quickly caught Lila’s attention, blabbering about something she’d seen in the gallery, and Lila had to summon all of her patience to listen and pretend she was interested in what the carrot was saying. 

However, Chloe becoming a member of their group really kept Lila away from them. She was like a one-woman defense force. Just a quirk of an eyebrow and a piercing glare, kept Lila from trying to insert herself onto Adrien’s arm. After all, there was only one Queen Bee. And as the Queen, she protected her colony from an invading enemy. 

Marinette found herself enjoying Chloe’s company despite herself. Her world view and dry sarcasm was like a breath of fresh air after the tension Marinette had been feeling. 

DING!

Pulling out her phone, Marinette’s eyes widened to see an invitation to have dinner with the Waynes’ again that night. She wordlessly handed her phone over to Adrien, who quickly read the message. 

“What do you want to do?” Adrien asked her, meeting her eyes earnestly. 

Marinette took a deep breath. “I think I want to go. I want to see them again.” 

“Who, girl?” Alya asked, peering over Marinette’s shoulder. 

“My father. He wants to have dinner again tonight. After what happened at the museum, he wants to check on me.” Marinette said softly. 

“Dinner with your father? Again?” Chloe said, clearly having overheard the topic of conversation. “But you’ve only had dinner with the W...oh. my. god.”


	22. Dude, I Am So Tired.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, so sorry it has been so long since the last upload. I got really sick there for a while and I could barely lift my head, let alone try and write anything. Anyways, thanks for your patience and here’s the long awaited next chapter of To Know A Father.

Chapter 22

The following shushing and quashing of Chloé’s startled exclamation of who Marinette’s birth father apparently was, was done quickly and sternly, as the small group made for a less populated section of the gallery. 

“You’re a fucking _Wayne_?” Chloé exclaimed once they made it to a deserted alcove, her tone hissed and surprisingly _hurt_. “Like this whole time, when I called you Mari-Trash, a nobody daughter of a baker, with no old money to speak of? Were you just _laughing_ at me? When your blood was bluer than my whole family put together? This whole time, we could have been _friends_ , one approved of by my mother? And you kept it to _yourself_?” 

Marinette tried to keep Chloé’s tirade from getting loud enough for others to hear. “No, gods no, Chloé! I didn’t know _he_ was my father until a few months before this trip was even organised. Mother never told me and I never asked. It wasn’t until _Lie-la_ started insinuating that my mother was a _whore_ and those traits must have been passed on to me, that I even thought to ask. If I had known, well, I don’t know what I would have done, but I would have never kept it from you out of some petty, _malicious_ agenda.” 

Adrien, however, was frowning. “Chloé, did you really only pick on people because your mother wouldn’t approve of them as friends? Because none of them lived up to your _standards_? Do you only like me because I’m _rich_?” 

Chloé’s eyes snapped back to Adrien’s. She moved towards him quickly, securing his head in between both her hands. “No, Adrien, never. You were my first and only friend for a _very_ long time. True, you were the only friend that my mother really approved of. And since you were rich, you didn’t care about my family’s wealth. You’ve always been my equal.” 

“So you _do_ pick on people because you think you’re better than them?” Adrien accused. 

Chloé’s hands fell to her sides, looking more vulnerable than Adrien had ever seen her. “Maybe...maybe at first. Because that’s what my mother expected of me. It’s how she treats me. But...after a while, I just did it, I just _do_ it, because that is what the rest of Paris expected of me.” 

“Chlo…” Adrien said softly, looking at her with deep concern. His eyes followed one single tear that spilled down her cheek.

Chloé wiped it away viciously. “It doesn’t even matter. I’m Chloé Bourgeois, cold hearted bitch, rich princess. Wants for nothing. That’s all you see, right? That’s all you think of me, right? Why should I act any differently?” She snapped, not meeting Adrien’s, or anyone’s, gaze.

Marinette, surprising everyone, pulled Chloé into a tight hug. Chloé stiffened, unused to such contact, especially from Marinette. “I’m sorry, Chloé.”

Chloé seemed to relax into the hug minutely, before she abruptly pulled away from the other girl. It was probably the closest thing Marinette would get to an apology for a _very_ long time and a lot of therapy on the part of the blonde. Marinette may have slowly begun the journey to healing and forgiving Chloé, she wasn’t sure whether she could quite let the blonde through all her walls. Though, Chloé smiled faintly as the bluenette. However, the smile was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced with her usual sneer. “That’s enough of that. All this emotion, ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.” 

This made Marinette chuckle softly, but she didn’t press the blonde girl. She turned slightly to include Nino and Alya back into the conversation. “So, with dinner, you think I should go?” 

“Yeah, girl!” Alya exclaimed. “How many times are you going to go to see this side of your family, uninterrupted and privately?” 

“You should definitely go, dudette.” Nino said, smiling weakly, seemingly still processing what had just gone down with Chloé. 

“Indeed,” Chloé said, her usual oozing tone of superiority settling back in place. “How many people can say they’ve had multiple informal dinners with the Wayne family?”

“Lila?” Marinette deadpanned, which made Chloé snort in a very un-Chloé-like way. 

“Speaking of that little witch, who thinks she can drape herself all over my Adri-kins, alienating Sabrina from me, and rule the roost, what are we going to do about her?” Chloé asked, raising her eyebrows at the group. 

“Well, Father is going to file a lawsuit when we get back to Paris. She’s not just slandering me, but she’s spreading lies about his official family and his family. Not necessarily good for business. Besides, people connected with the Wayne family tend to get...targeted by unsavoury types. I mean, after Jason... Lila spouting this connection to everyone could be potentially dangerous, for her and everyone around her. I’m honestly surprised that our group has only been attacked once, and that was more coincidence rather than someone actually targeting us.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Came a voice from behind them, causing the little group to spin on their heels to face where the words had come from. 

Marinette’s face lit up. “Dick! What are you doing here?” 

“Couldn’t I just be on Wayne Enterprises business?” Dick said, a charming grin on his face. 

Marinette laughed softly. “That’s normally more Tim’s forte, isn’t it?” 

Dick smirked. “True. Maybe I was just checking on my newest little sister while she’s here in big, bad Gotham. Especially after the museum.” 

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Bruce sent you to check up on me?” 

Dick shrugged. “Normally Jay is tailing you, but he couldn’t exactly follow you in here, so here _I_ am.” He looked over at the other teens. “Why don’t you introduce me to your friends?” 

Marinette’s eyes narrowed at Dick’s sudden request, but acquiesced. “Adrien, you already know. This is Alya Cesaire, reporter and owner of the LadyBlog. Nino Lahiffe, an up and coming DJ. And this is Chloé Bourgeois, daughter to the Mayor of Paris and heiress to _Style Queen_. Everyone, this is Richard ‘Dick’ Grayson-Wayne, my new oldest brother.” 

He waved to the group of young teens. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all. Do you mind if I accompany you around the gallery?” 

Marinette raised her eyebrows. “I thought you were here on W.E business?” 

Dick shrugged. “And miss this chance to spend time with my sister and her friends? Not a chance. And before you protest, this is a non-photography gallery, so this won’t get out on social media, if you’re worried about people connecting us in some way.” 

Alya snorted at that. “If people really wanted to take a picture of you, Dick Grayson-Wayne, the most eligible bachelor in Gotham, aside from your father, I think they’ll take it. Rules be damned.” 

Dick laughed heartily at that. “Spoken like a true reporter. Though, I suppose you _are_ right. But what’s life without a little risk?” 

“Um, we live in _Paris_ , dude.” Nino said, as if to point out that their lives were already risky. 

Dick scoffed. “I live in _Gotham_.” 

Nino nodded, conceding the point. 

“Come on Pixie Pop,” Dick said, trying out Jason’s nickname for her. “What’s the harm?” 

Marinette sighed. “Fine. But never call me that again. Only Jay can call me that.” 

“Agreed.” Dick said easily. “I’ll just have to come up with my own nickname for you then.” 

Spending time with Dick around the gallery was very nice. His humour was very similar to Chloé’s, making the pair of them get on like a house on fire, and Chloé was actually _very_ nice to him. That surprised Marinette a lot. She thought, being around a Wayne, would bring out Chloé’s tendencies to put others down to elevate herself. But with Dick, she seemed to relax somewhat. Marinette guessed it was because they ran in similar circles and spoke the same ‘rich kid’ language that the others didn’t. Alya, Nino and Marinette because they didn’t grow up rich and Adrien because he grew up really rather isolated. 

  
However, it was coming into time when they would have to leave, so as not to be caught, Dick left before they met up with the rest of the class, with the promise of swinging by the hotel to come pick Marinette and Adrien up for dinner later. Dick had called ahead and already cleared it with Mlle Bustier before the class had even arrived at the gallery. In some ways, it made Marinette feel like she’d never really had a choice in going to dinner. Though Marinette supposed, if she really hadn’t wanted to go, she could have told Dick and he would have cancelled for her with no questions asked. Marinette just felt like she couldn’t say no, but she wasn’t sure if she really _wanted_ to. Chloé was right before. How much time would Marinette get to spend with her new family? She could take every opportunity to do so while she could.


End file.
